HOUSTON — The top three polling 2020 Democrats sparred on the same stage for the first time in the campaign season.
The third Democratic debate opened with a heated exchange among Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, former Vice President Joe Biden, and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders over healthcare.
Biden and Sanders appeared on the same stage at the first and second debates, in June and July. Those debates, rolled over two nights to accommodate a total of 20 candidates who met the threshold of polling and donors, were set by the Democratic National Committee. Warren appeared on separate nights from Biden and Sanders.
In Houston, the trio argued about healthcare delivery systems.
“It doesn’t cost $30 trillion — how are we going to pay for it? I want to hear how we’re going to pay for it,” the former vice president asked about “Medicare for all,” Sanders’ signature issue, also favored by Warren.
During the exchange, Sanders responded that “Medicare for all” would actually save money in the long run, by cutting out profit margins and market inefficiencies.
“It’s a great plan if you like it. I don’t like it,” the former vice president said on Warren and Sanders’ “Medicare for all” pitch, right after saying their programs would taxes substantially. Biden also criticized Warren’s funding mechanism for her “Medicare for all” proposal, saying her 2% tax on the wealthy only covers a fraction of overhauling the nation’s healthcare system.
