Welcome back to our โMeet the Candidatesโ series, where the congressional candidates respond to a question in 100 words or less.
To see what candidates said previously on topics like foreign policy and housing, read their answers here.
CA-11, the congressional district that Connie Chan and Scott Wiener are running to represent, includes most of San Francisco. Some southern neighborhoods (the Excelsior, Portola, Visitacion Valley and Ingleside) are a part of a neighboring district.
On the campaign trail, a favorite talking point for both Connie Chan and Scott Wiener is the need for Medicare for All, where the government provides healthcare insurance for everyone and replaces most private insurance. The current American medical system is cruel, they say. No family should have to bankrupt itself to pay for healthcare. Having government-run insurance would increase access and lower costs.
But plans to enact a system like Medicare for All have been proposed for decades with little progress towards actual adoption. Itโs an issue that the Democratic caucus is divided on, meaning that even if Democrats control the Senate, House and presidency, there is no guarantee there will be the votes to pass it.ย
Other major healthcare reforms have been floated instead, including creating a government-run insurance plan that any American could choose to buy, though private insurance would continue to exist. This proposal, commonly called the โpublic option,โ is supported by many of the Democrats who donโt support Medicare for All.
This week we asked: You are both proponents of Medicare for All, but it faces a steep uphill battle to pass. What alternative healthcare reforms, if any, would be worth pursuing even if it means setting aside single payer for a while?
Connie Chan
- Job: San Francisco District 1 Supervisor
- Age: 47
- Residency: Homeowner, has lived in San Francisco since she was 13
- Transportation: Driving, public transit, and walking
- Education: Bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Davis
- Languages: English, Cantonese, Mandarin
I wonโt set Medicare for All aside โ because healthcare is a right, not a privilege. Iโll fight to restore Medicaid funding and extend ACA subsidies while working with the bill’s author, Pramila Jayapal, and National Nurses United to enact it. I’m proud to have earned their endorsements in this election.
We cannot follow the Sacramento playbook of politicians claiming victory without delivering single-payer care. Patients need expanded coverage and lower costs, not years of studies and bureaucracy that protect corporate insurers’ profits. In Congress, Iโll advance universal healthcare and reject attempts to pass off the status quo as progress.
Endorsed by: Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, U.S. Senator Adam Schiff, Congressman Ro Khanna, California Federation of Labor Unions, SEIU California, San Francisco Labor Council, Working Families Party, San Francisco Tenant’s Union … read more here.
Scott Wiener
- Job: San Francisco’s State Senator
- Age: 56
- Residency: Homeowner, moved to San Francisco in 1997
- Transportation: Public transit and walking
- Education: Bachelorโs degree from Duke, law degree from Harvard
- Languages: English, Spanish
Medicare for All is the ultimate goal in our work to lower costs and ensure universal access to healthcare.
Until we enact and implement Medicare for All, we need to do two things. First, we must ensure our current healthcare system doesnโt crater as a result of Trumpโs horrific Medicaid cuts. Reversing those cuts must be a top priority.
Second, we must strengthen patient protections in the system we have โฆ capping copays for insulin and other essential drugs, forcing companies to cover more mental health and addiction care and penalizing insurance companies that wrongfully deny or delay care.
See Wienerโs full answer here.
Endorsed by: The California Democratic Party, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Sierra Club, San Francisco YIMBY, Grow SF, San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, North Coast States Carpenters Union, Dolores Huerta … read more here.
Candidates are ordered alphabetically and rotated each week. Answers may be lightly edited for formatting, spelling, and grammar. If you have questions for the candidates, please let us know at io@missionlocal.com or yujie@missionlocal.com.
Election Day is on Nov. 3, 2026. You can register to vote via the sf.gov website.
