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Seventy years ago, before Medicare existed to inspire "Medicare for All," a Democratic president wrestled with a challenge strikingly similar to what the party's White House hopefuls face today. Harry Truman, then in his fourth year of pressing for a national health insurance system, parried criticism of his approach in terms that a single-payer health care advocate might use in 2019. The plainspoken Missourian wrote in a 1949 message to Congress that his proposal "will not require doctors to become employees of the government" and that "patients will remain free to choose their own doctors." (8/5)

Democratic presidential candidates' tussle over health care reform continued Saturday as they pitched themselves to Nevada union members, with former Vice President Joe Biden declaring he's "against any Democrat who wants to get rid of Obamacare" and Sen. Kamala Harris saying no Democrat should be on the debate stage without a plan to cover everybody. They were among 19 candidates speaking at a forum held by the nation's largest public employees union in the state that will cast the first votes in the West in next year's primary. (Price and Ronayne, 8/3)

Another frequent topic was health care. The labor movement doesn’t have a unanimous view on the topic, an issue that has also divided the Democratic field. AFSCME supports a single-payer health-care system, and union leaders said they’re telling candidates they want to be part of any discussions about changing the current system. Warren, who supports Medicare-for-all, spoke directly to AFSCME’s desire to be part of the negotiations for a new system when she said: “As I see it, is the unions are at the table, nobody does anything without working people well represented.” (Linskey, 8/3)

Janelle Fisher, 36, a licensed psychologist from Sacramento, is enthusiastic about single-payer health care. “Oh goodness, that should be a right,” she said. “Everyone should have access to health care that actually fits their needs and doesn’t leave them saddled with all this debt or having to file bankruptcy.” That said, Sanders’s Medicare for All isn’t her favorite version of it. “To be honest, Kamala Harris’s plan stood out to me,” she said. Fisher thought the California senator’s 10-year rollout was more realistic than Sanders’s four-year timetable. “At the end of the day, Medicare for All is such a huge, gargantuan plan to enact, and it’s not gonna happen overnight. But little by little, it can be something really fantastic.” (Kinery, 8/5)

The Trump administration is considering releasing its long-promised health-care plan in the fall as part of a campaign strategy to offer an alternative to Democratic candidates who back Medicare for All, according to people familiar with the discussions. White House officials are discussing unveiling the proposal during a September speech in which President Trump would seek to draw a contrast with Democrats while reassuring voters the administration is prepared if the courts abolish the Affordable Care Act. The timing of the speech could shift, officials said. (Armour and Restuccia, 8/3)