Among Democrats running for governor, single-payer health care gains support

In the midst of the divide and confusion over health insurance’s future, Minnesota Democrats who would be governor are near united in their prescriptions: Universal and single-payer is the way forward.

In a recent debate before a union-member crowd, the half-dozen Democratic-Farmer-Labor candidates gave nods to supporting universal health care, meaning everyone would be covered by health insurance. Four of the six proudly said they supported a single-payer health care model, meaning a publicly financed system. Last week, Democrat Rebecca Otto, the state’s auditor, came out with a lengthy Minnesota-based plan to finance health care.

The leading Democrats to replace DFL Gov. Mark Dayton would give the state a radically different debate than it has ever had on health insurance. The politics of health care have changed dramatically since 2010, when Minnesota had its last gubernatorial election with no incumbent.

Since then, the country and state have grappled with the rocky rollout of the ACA, known as Obamacare, seen health insurance costs leap and the number of uninsured decrease. Now, in Washington, D.C., with a new president and Republican-controlled Congress, the debate is how and whether the GOP can repeal the federal health care law. So far, the repeal attempts have failed.

Read more: http://www.twincities.com/2017/10/17/minnesota-single-payer-health-care-democratic-governor-candidates/