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Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., stopped short of endorsing Medicare for All as the banner issue Democrats should run on in 2028 on Tuesday, instead arguing that the party should campaign on the broader promise of “guaranteed coverage” and universal care.
At Semafor’s Future of Health Forum, Kim told Semafor’s Burgess Everett that Medicare for All was a “stand-in” for the broader goal that Democrats should be working toward.
He pointed to his MediKids proposal — legislation that would guarantee universal healthcare coverage for every American under the age of 26 — as an example of how the party could pursue universal coverage through a more targeted approach to build towards guaranteed care.
“I think it’s a stand-in for where we’re trying to head towards,” Kim said.
“I think we should be running on that guaranteed coverage, on that universal care,” he added. “I do think that that vision of guaranteed care for everybody is something that is absolutely essential and what a lot of people in this country want.”
Kim, who is a member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, also said he was not convinced Republicans would work with Democrats next year to roll back or delay the scheduled Medicaid cuts.
Asked whether Republicans might be willing to at least delay some of the changes to Medicaid, Kim said, “I don’t know. I’m not really sure.” He pointed to Republicans’ decision to allow cuts to Affordable Care Act subsidies to take effect rather than delay them.
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Kim also discussed his recent trip to Texas to campaign with Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico, describing significant energy and enthusiasm on the ground in the race against Republican nominee Ken Paxton.
Texas has historically been a reliably Republican state, but Paxton’s controversial candidacy has some Democrats — including Kim — increasingly bullish on the race.
Kim described talking to a longtime Republican voter who told him that Paxton was “unelectable,” citing concerns about corruption. Kim said the experience reinforced his view that opposition to corruption and interest in a younger generation of leadership could be meaningful factors in the race.
“You have that added baggage of Ken Paxton being literally the worst possible candidate that the Republicans could have chosen for that seat. And then the other thing is there’s a lot of excitement for a new generation of leadership. And I could feel that when I was there too. A lot of people are excited about Talarico, a younger, new leader in that kind of space,” Kim said.