Health care has been the first item on the agenda for Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders in both Democratic presidential debates Thursday and last week. It's one of few issues on which the two candidates have a real difference of opinion -- who should be covered, what kind of coverage they should receive and who should pay the bill.
Both candidates like President Obama's health-reform legislation, the Affordable Care Act. Both talk tough about reducing medical costs and price-gouging by pharmaceutical firms.
But there is disagreement: Sanders's plan would replace much of the existing private insurance industry. In its place, the federal government would collect premiums from Americans and reimburse doctors and hospitals for their services, just as Medicare does now for retirees. He calls his plan "Medicare for All." Clinton, however, supports maintaining the existing system under the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.
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