The Atlantic

The Democratic Debates Are a Fantasy World

Presidents can’t wave a magic wand and make single-payer insurance happen. Voters deserve to know how the 2020 candidates would really govern.
Source: Win McNamee / Getty

The next Democratic presidential debate happens tonight in Atlanta. Other than a slightly altered roster of candidates and an all-female slate of moderators, we have no reason to believe that it will be substantially different from the other debates. We can expect yet more questions about single-payer health coverage versus a public option. Elizabeth Warren’s rivals may be asked to dissect her version of Medicare for All and her newly released financing plan for it.

Yet while polls show that health care is a top priority for voters, and while the policy differences among the slew of Democratic presidential candidates are meaningful, the

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