After widening for decades, the gap narrowed thanks to pandemic-era government spending. But now we’re reverting to the status quo.

This is the dilemma the Democrats face as the Republicans push to impose onerous hurdles on Medicaid in their budget bill.

A quiet split is brewing in the party: Is “better” enough, or is stretching toward a truly accessible, public program the goal? Elizabeth Warren and Joe Biden have taken sides.

Workers were barely getting by before the pandemic, and the situation has only grown more desperate since then.