Presidential candidate Sen. Booker wants to keep private health insurance

Democratic presidential candidate and New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker says he wants universal health insurance coverage in the U.S., but says he doesn't want to eliminate private insurance.

It’s one of the differences between Booker and one of his 2020 White House rivals, Sen. Kamala Harris, of California.

Harris made headlines this week by saying she wants to expand Medicare to cover all Americans, and that could mean eliminating private health insurance plans.

The move would be a politically difficult one and represent a drastic overall to the system.

Booker is suggesting he would back more incremental proposals that would expand Medicare, while allowing private insurers to continue to provide coverage.

AP wire services helped contribute to this report.