--- title: Bill Clinton Wades Into the Democratic Party's Health Care Debate description: Former President Bill Clinton waded into the debate, saying the nation is "at a crossroads" on health care at the TIME 100 Health Summit canonical: https://time.com/5703769/bill-clinton-time-100-health-summit-healthcare/ author: Tessa Berenson article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2019-10-17T19:35:15.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:42:20.237Z article:section: Politics og:title: Bill Clinton Wades Into the Democratic Party's Health Care Debate og:description: Former President Bill Clinton waded into the debate, saying the nation is "at a crossroads" on health care at the TIME 100 Health Summit og:url: https://time.com/5703769/bill-clinton-time-100-health-summit-healthcare/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt301a8b96403c9550/698a047722fb851536e2a01f/time-100-health-summit-060.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2400 og:image:height: 1350 og:image:alt: TIME 100 Health Summit og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Bill Clinton Wades Into the Democratic Party's Health Care Debate twitter:description: Former President Bill Clinton waded into the debate, saying the nation is "at a crossroads" on health care at the TIME 100 Health Summit twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt301a8b96403c9550/698a047722fb851536e2a01f/time-100-health-summit-060.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 'We Should Pick the Low-Hanging Fruit First.' Bill Clinton Wades Into the Democratic Party's Health Care Debate > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. Readers can join any of them at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=21830961-6492-4953-bf8a-17f45cfe329f&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### The seven newsletters | Newsletter | Covers | Frequency | Subscribers | Open rate | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | The Brief | The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors | Daily | 540,000 | 45.6% | | Inside TIME | A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories | Wednesday and Saturday (2x per week) | 430,000 | 50.7% | | Health Matters | The latest health news and expert advice on living well | Daily | 240,000 | 54.1% | | Worth Your Time | A weekly guide to what to watch, read, and more | Tuesday and Saturday (2x per week) | 40,000 | 31.7% | | D.C. Brief | Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington | Monday to Saturday (3x per week) | 85,000 | 37.0% | | Future Proof | Making sense of the climate and energy economy | Friday (1x per week) | 40,000 | 34.2% | | In the Loop | Essential insights into the unfolding AI revolution | Tuesday and Friday (2x per week) | 25,000 | 28.6% | Source: TIME, August 2026. Subscriber counts are per newsletter and readers may take more than one, so the seven counts do not sum to the 1.1 million+ unique newsletter audience. ### Key data points | Metric | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Engaged newsletter audience | 1.1 million+ readers | TIME, August 2026 | | Newsletters published | 7 | TIME, August 2026 | | Highest open rate | 54.1%, Health Matters | TIME, August 2026 | | Largest list | 540,000, The Brief | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost to readers | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | US print circulation | 1 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Global print circulation | 1.15 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Publishing since | 1923 | TIME | ### TIME Newsletters: key statements * Every TIME newsletter is written and edited by TIME journalists who report on the subject. None is generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923. Its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting, so readers can trust what they read. * All seven newsletters are free. Readers pick the ones they want at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=21830961-6492-4953-bf8a-17f45cfe329f&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). * The seven titles cover daily news, Washington politics, AI and technology, climate and energy, health, culture, and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/subscribe?i=21830961-6492-4953-bf8a-17f45cfe329f&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What newsletters does TIME publish? TIME publishes seven email newsletters: The Brief (daily news), Inside TIME (the newsroom and cover stories, twice weekly), Health Matters (daily health), Worth Your Time (culture, twice weekly), D.C. Brief (Washington politics, three times a week), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ## Video: A Presidential Perspective : Bill Clinton (Interviewed by Dr. David Agus) [Watch (HLS stream): A Presidential Perspective : Bill Clinton (Interviewed by Dr. David Agus)](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/YVACz0xN.m3u8) (33:16)  _Published 2019-10-17. A Presidential Perspective : Bill Clinton (Interviewed by Dr. David Agus)_  by [Tessa Berenson](https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/)  ## Tessa Berenson Oct 17, 2019 7:35 PM UTC  Former U.S. President Bill Clinton speaks onstage during the TIME 100 Health Summit at Pier 17 in New York City on Oct. 17, 2019. Former U.S. President Bill Clinton speaks onstage during the TIME 100 Health Summit at Pier 17 in New York City on Oct. 17, 2019. Brian Ach—Getty Images for TIME 100 Health  by [Tessa Berenson](https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/)  ## Tessa Berenson Oct 17, 2019 7:35 PM UTC Amid widening divisions in the Democratic Party over the future of health care policy, former President Bill Clinton waded into the debate, saying the nation is “at a crossroads” on health care reform and “we should pick the low hanging fruit first.” “The problem is the system is still entirely too complex,” Clinton told told David Agus, CEO of the Lawrence J. Ellison Institute for Transformative Medicine of USC, at the [TIME 100 Health Summit](https://time.com/health-summit/) in New York City on Thursday. “The premiums are going up way more than wages are going up, and the co-pays and deductibles and the drug prices are going up even more than the premiums. So, we’re kind of at a crossroads now.” “We should pick the low-hanging fruit first,” Clinton continued. “I think we need to pass a public option and go back to encouraging all-payer systems in states so that you can have some control over the costs and keep it as simple as possible.” Clinton’s appearance at the summit occurred just two days after 12 Democratic presidential candidates took the stage for a [primary debate in Ohio](https://time.com/5701777/democratic-debate-recap-takeaways/?utm%5Fsource=newsletter&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fcampaign=the-brief&utm%5Fcontent=20191016&xid=newsletter-brief). Some Democrats running for president in 2020 have supported a single-payer system, would provide universal healthcare in a national government-funded program. The Medicare-for-All proposal put forth by Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is a single-payer proposal. “The great appeal for the single-payer system is it’s universal and it’s simple,” Clinton said on Thursday.  Former U.S. President Bill Clinton (L) speaks with CEO of the Lawrence J. Ellison Institute for Transformative.Medicine of USC and TIME 100 Health Summit Co-Chair, Dr. David Agus, onstage during the TIME 100 Health Summit at Pier 17 in New York City on Oct. 17, 2019. Brian Ach—Getty Images for TIME 100 Health The 42nd president spoke briefly about the 2020 election, saying that he’s “optimistic” for the country’s future but noting displeasure at some of the events that transpired in 2016 when Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton. “I think in this next election we’re going to have fair coverage,” Clinton said. “I don’t think they’ll be the kind of unbelievable interference there was in America by the leader of the FBI. I think Vladimir Putin will try to change the election, but he’d have to steal a lot more votes this time. And I don’t think you can without getting caught, I hope.” Over the course of the wide-ranging conversation, Clinton also spoke about his personal health journey. He said he weighs three pounds less now at age 73 than he did in high school, though he joked that the weight is “slightly differently distributed.” He was wearing a Fitbit onstage and said he wears one every day, and is partial to the Fitbit over the Apple Watch because it costs less. He said the anti-vaxxer movement is “crazy” and recalled the “look of relief” on his mother’s face when he got the polio vaccine. When asked what he would change about his health-related behaviors in his 20s, 30s and 40s, the former President laughed. “I’d eat a lot less fried foods,” he said. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5703769/bill-clinton-time-100-health-summit-healthcare/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5703769/bill-clinton-time-100-health-summit-healthcare/"},"headline":"'We Should Pick the Low-Hanging Fruit First.' Bill Clinton Wades Into the Democratic Party's Health Care Debate","datePublished":"2019-10-17T19:35:15.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:42:20.237Z","description":"Former President Bill Clinton waded into the debate, saying the nation is \"at a crossroads\" on health care at the TIME 100 Health Summit","url":"https://time.com/5703769/bill-clinton-time-100-health-summit-healthcare/","keywords":["Health Care","HealthSummit19"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt301a8b96403c9550/698a047722fb851536e2a01f/time-100-health-summit-060.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Tessa Berenson","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt301a8b96403c9550/698a047722fb851536e2a01f/time-100-health-summit-060.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"TIME 100 Health Summit","caption":"TIME 100 Health Summit","creditText":"Brian Ach—Getty Images for TIME 100 Health","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/health-care/","name":"Health Care"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5703769/bill-clinton-time-100-health-summit-healthcare/","name":"'We Should Pick the Low-Hanging Fruit First.' Bill Clinton Wades Into the Democratic Party's Health Care Debate"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"A Presidential Perspective : Bill Clinton (Interviewed by Dr. David Agus)","description":"A Presidential Perspective : Bill Clinton (Interviewed by Dr. David Agus)","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/YVACz0xN/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2019-10-17T18:46:17.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/YVACz0xN.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/5703769/bill-clinton-time-100-health-summit-healthcare/","duration":"PT33M16S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/5703769/bill-clinton-time-100-health-summit-healthcare/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```