This archive report was first published on 17 November 2019.
At a CNN forum in March 2019, Elizabeth Warren suggested that private insurers could still have a role in a universal coverage system, but by June, she had become more unequivocal in her support for Medicare for All, stating that private insurers would be eliminated.
However, Warren's team was working to address concerns about how the program would be paid for, with aides Jon Donenberg and Bharat Ramamurti developing a financing plan over the summer.
As the 2020 presidential debates approached, Warren's stance on Medicare for All was put to the test, with her opponents, including Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg, criticizing her for not being clear about how the program would be funded.
Despite the criticism, Warren's team was working to finalize a plan, with the help of Donald Berwick, a former federal health care official, who had been working with the campaign to develop a comprehensive way to pay for Medicare for All.
By the time of the debates, Warren's team had developed a plan, but it was not yet publicly disclosed, leaving her opponents to attack her for not being clear about how the program would be funded.
