Maine Democratic Senate candidate Troy Jackson touched on the question every voter should be asking. Can I keep my current healthcare under Medicare for All? His answer: "On Medicare for All, there's people who are arguing, 'well, can I keep my healthcare?' Well, no you can't."
Jackson is right, government run healthcare means outright eliminating private health insurance, and his own party has spent years trying to hide it. In a separate interview, he said that in any such system "everyone has to get into the plan." He also told voters he is running to deliver "a Medicare for All system."
Democrats used to just make and break lofty health care promises about being able to keep your health insurance. Now their candidates are openly saying the quiet part out loud.
The Wall Street Journal editorial board wrote this month that Michigan's Abdul El-Sayed is "trying to deceive voters by pretending that the rallying cry of 'Medicare for All' doesn't really mean Medicare for all."
The numbers back Jackson up. The American Action Forum projects that single-payer would cut employer-sponsored enrollment by about 168 million people in 2028 and move 274 million into the new government program. It would also cost a net $47.4 trillion over 2027 to 2036, before any new taxes.
Seniors have the most to lose. Maine is the oldest state in the nation by median age. Medicare was built for seniors who paid into it for a lifetime, and Medicare for All would dissolve it into a program shared with everyone else, including undocumented immigrants, with the same overwhelmed doctors and hospitals.
The rest of the Democratic Party isn't leveling with seniors either. House Democrats' healthcare working group put Medicare for All in its report to Hakeem Jeffries. Co-chair Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said, "Medicare for All is of course included." The Washington Post reports they are discussing a major expansion of Medicare coverage and government-run insurance if they win the House. Jackson's answer to worried voters is that "the healthcare industry, big pharma has made people feel like they're not going to get as good a coverage." In other words, seniors who worry about losing their plan are being fooled.
Troy Jackson answered honestly, and the answer is no, you can't keep your healthcare. Every Democrat running on Medicare for All is promising the same thing. Voters deserve to hear the answer Jackson gave before they cast a ballot, not after.