The fragmentation within much of our country was on full display during the recent national conventions and their aftermath. The gatherings in Philadelphia and Cleveland presented two very disparate views of America, along with enough sound bites and discord to keep the Twitterverse buzzing indefinitely. Sure, every election cycle comes with its share of bluster, partisanship and hyperbole, but this year seems to be moving into fairly unprecedented territory — and we’re still months away from November.

But while Americans remain glued to their various screens, waiting for updates on Hillary’s emails or Trump’s latest jaw-dropper, Bernie Sanders continues to have a major impact on the country (and no, I’m not referring to the booing Bernie Bros).

A large part of Sanders’ unsuccessful bid for the Democratic presidential nomination was built on the foundation of universal health care. According to his website, he believes “health care is a human right and should be guaranteed to all Americans regardless of wealth or income,” while “universal health care serves as a strong foundation for his policy goals.”

And although much of the national conversation continues to revolve around the future of the Affordable Care Act, it appears a growing number of Americans are feeling the Bern when it comes to the future of health care.

While Americans remain evenly split on the idea of keeping the ACA in its current form, 58 percent would prefer replacing the law with a federally funded system that provides health care for all Americans, according to a recent Gallup poll. When asked how to deal with the ACA, solutions mostly fell along predictable party lines; but when asked about replacing the ACA with a federally funded system, a surprisingly high 41 percent of Republicans said they were in favor.

Meanwhile, in California, voters this fall will consider Proposition 61, which, with some exceptions, would bar drug companies from charging state programs more than the discounted price paid by the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs. And I’ve already written about Colorado’s Amendment 69, which would create a new public health system paid with tax increases and federal and state funding currently allotted for programs like Medicaid. (For more coverage of single payer on the state level, keep an eye out for BenefitsPRO magazine's October cover story.)

As a recent Associated Press article puts it, “With the presidential campaign consumed by questions about the candidates' character and temperament, the traditional debate over issues has been downplayed. Republican Donald Trump has pledged to repeal Obama's health care law, while Democrat Hillary Clinton would build on it. The California and Colorado initiatives steer the conversation away from the highly scripted back-and-forth on ‘Obamacare.’”

As the piece points out, opponents of the Colorado measure, including Anthem, have raised nearly $4 million — more than five times the amount raised by supporters. Meanwhile, opponents of the initiative in California have raised nearly $70 million. Clearly, some people are managing to tear themselves away from the constant noise of the presidential race long enough to take notice of issues that could potentially have a far greater impact on the future of the health care industry.

How about you?

Instant Insights /

The call for universal health care is getting louder

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