MADISON, Wis. – Vice President Kamala Harris, who campaigned on eliminating private health insurance in 2019, on Friday accused former President Donald Trump of “threatening” Americans’ health insurance.
“[Trump] “I’m going to repeal Obamacare,” the Democratic presidential candidate told Wisconsin voters at a rally in heavily Democratic Dane County.
“He’s basically saying he’s jeopardizing the health insurance of 45 million people in our country with a concept,” Harris continued, referring to the Republican candidate’s claim during a September 10 debate that he has a “conceptual plan” to replace the ACA, also known as Obamacare, but isn’t ready to unveil it yet.
Harris attacked Trump over his health care plan during a speech in the battleground state of Wisconsin on Friday. AP
Since taking over from President Biden as the Democratic candidate of the future, Harris, 59, has campaigned on “expanding and strengthening the Affordable Care Act,” distancing herself from her previous support for a “Medicare for All” single-payer health care system.
“The idea is that health care will be accessible to everyone and they won’t have to go through an insurance company,” Harris said at an Iowa town hall during the 2019 presidential campaign, when asked how her health care stances would affect people who are happy with private health insurance.
“Let’s get all that out of the way and move forward,” she added.
According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, an estimated 164.7 million people in the U.S. will have employer-sponsored health insurance in 2023, a plan that would have been eliminated under Harris’ 2019 “Medicare for All” initiative.
The Harris campaign held a raucous rally, drawing more than 10,000 supporters to the Alliant Energy Center just outside downtown Madison.
The area is known for its high voter turnout, and in the 2020 election it more strongly supported Biden (75.5%) over Trump (22.9%).
Harris’s shifting stance on Medicare for All is one of the differences between her policy stances in the 2019 and 2024 presidential elections. KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Heidi Rosenberg, 61, a college lecturer in Madison, told the Post she believes Harris “deep down” still supports free health care for all.
“Frankly, I think a lot of politicians — and she wouldn’t be the first — would say health care should be free for everyone,” she said. “That’s the goal. But it’s not an achievable goal.”
“Following the Affordable Care Act is the most reasonable goal,” Rosenberg argued.
“I think you have to think about both. If you ask her, [about free healthcare for all] “I think in her heart she would say yes, but it’s not realistic at this point,” she added.
Mike Revello, a retired engineer, and Julia Revello, a retired educator, traveled from Chicago to attend the rally and told The Washington Post that this was their first time actively supporting a presidential candidate.
“We’ve never done anything like this before,” Mike said, noting that he and Julia have been phone banking and sending postcards for the Harris campaign this election.
“It’s an instinctual thing,” he added, saying that for him the biggest issue is “good versus evil, selfishness versus selflessness.”
Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign event at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wisconsin, September 20, 2024. KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Julia’s biggest concerns are “caring about others before yourself” and reproductive rights.
“I can’t imagine Donald Trump becoming president,” she told The Post.
When asked about Harris’ sudden changes to health care policy, Mike said he doesn’t have extensive knowledge of Medicare for All, but he likes “the fact that the government is negotiating with the drug companies.”
As the vice president spoke, about six anti-Israel protesters tried to interrupt her, but Harris interrupted their shouting, unaware of the commotion in the auditorium.
The Post witnessed event staff forcefully remove a banner that read “Fund housing, fund genocide” from two protesters.
The female staff member fell to the ground after winning a tug-of-war over the banner.
Security personnel escorted the two disruptors and others from the venue.
