The VP Debate Offered Civility, but Few Solutions on Health Care | Opinion [Video]

The vice presidential debate stood in stark contrast to the chaotic exchanges of their running mates, offering a more civil, welcome tone. Despite the measured rhetoric, health care—the one issue that touches every American—received little air time.

While the candidates sparred over Obamacare, prescription drug prices, and reproductive rights, deeper concerns about health care access and systemic inequities were largely absent from the debate stage. Even with affordability ranking as a top public concern, according to a Kaiser poll, the debate left voters without meaningful solutions, more division, and no clear plan for the future of care in America.

Bankrupted by health care is a growing fear with 74 percent of Americans expressing they’re “very” or “somewhat worried” they can’t afford unexpected medical bills. They’d be right, as medical debt is the No. 1 cause of personal bankruptcy with an estimated $88 billion headed to national collections.