Most New Hampshire Democrats Back Medicare For All. Stefany Shaheen Isn't One Of Them.

By Michael Graham, NH Journal

When Stefany Shaheen filed her paperwork to formally enter the NH-01 Democratic primary, she made it clear that healthcare was her top issue.

When NHJournal asked if she supports a single-payer healthcare system like Medicare for All, which has the backing of most of her fellow Democrats, Shaheen was less clear.

“I support every option we need to fix this broken healthcare system, but that (single payer) is not where we — we know we have to deliver change today with meaningful measures that happen today. We can’t wait for rebuilding the system to deliver relief for people,” Shaheen said.

Instead of supporting a single-payer system, Shaheen said she supported other reforms.

“We need to do things like expand access to Medicare by expanding vision, dental, and hearing for seniors. I support the legislation that Sen. (Bernie) Sanders has put forward.”

Shaheen’s answer puts her at odds with most of the other candidates in the primary.

“I can answer the healthcare question in just five words: I support Medicare for All,” state Rep. Heath Howard (D-Strafford) told NHJournal.

Christian Urrutia cut that down by two.

“Now is the time for clear answers from our leaders. The answer to our healthcare crisis is in three words: ‘Medicare for All.'”

Carleigh Beriont told NHJournal she rejects Shaheen’s premise.

“The answer isn’t ‘either/or;’ it’s ‘both/and.’ I would support any legislation that makes healthcare more affordable and accessible to people in the Granite State, and that includes fighting for universal single-payer health insurance and breaking up healthcare monopolies that exploit patients and providers and drive up costs.”

For progressives like Howard, Shaheen’s rejection of a single-payer healthcare system shows she’s part of the Democratic establishment they believe has failed the party and its base.

“Shaheen’s plan continues to place profit over people — selling us out for corporate interests. Obama-era policy proposals aren’t innovative, nor do they address the deeply rooted problems with our healthcare system,” Howard said.

Polls show most Democrats agree. A January 2026 Granite State Poll, a States of Opinion Project, conducted by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center, found 86% of New Hampshire Democrats “support a national system in which all Americans would get insurance from a single government plan.” And 57% strongly support the proposal.

And a November 2025 Pew Research Center survey found that while just 35% of all Americans supported a single-payer system, more than half of Democrats and Democratic-leaning voters back it.

Unlike Shaheen, Sarah Chadzynski told NHJournal that if single-payer legislation “came across my desk, I would sign onto it.” At the same time, she argued that action is needed now.

“Out-of-control healthcare costs aren’t theoretical for my family. Our health insurance went up to $2,600 a month this year,” Chadzynski said, adding, “We can’t afford to wait another 50 years for the perfect solution. What Granite Staters need immediately is legislation that drives down premiums, puts real guardrails on insurance companies, and begins the hard work of reforming our medical system from the ground up. That’s not a flip-of-a-switch fix, and I won’t pretend it is.”

Maura Sullivan advocates a middle path: “Medicare for All Who Want It.”

According to a statement on her campaign website, “Maura was also proud to be part of the Obama administration when they passed the Affordable Care Act. Instead of dismantling the Affordable Care Act, we need to protect it, and then we need to go much further and pass Medicare for All Who Want It.”

This position is usually aligned with a proposal to create a taxpayer-subsidized health insurance program — sometimes called the “public option” — to compete with private insurance.

There has been very little public polling of the NH-01 Democratic primary, but Shaheen is widely viewed as the front-runner, based entirely on her name ID as the daughter of U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen.

Like her daughter, Sen. Shaheen isn’t on board with single-payer healthcare either. Sanders’ Medicare for All Act currently has 17 Senate co-sponsors. Sen. Shaheen is not one of them.

This story was originally published by the NH Journal, an online news publication dedicated to providing fair, unbiased reporting on, and analysis of, political news of interest to New Hampshire. For more stories from the NH Journal, visit NHJournal.com.