Former Vice President Joe Biden is sharing his opinion on the idea of Medicare for All in America and the staggering price estimate.
In an MSNBC interview with Lawrence O’Donnell on Monday, Biden was asked a hypothetical question about health care if he were president.
“Let’s flash forward, you’re president,” O’Donnell began. “Bernie Sanders is still active in the Senate, he manages to get Medicare for All through the Senate in some compromise version, Elizabeth Warren’s version or another version. Nancy Pelosi gets a version it through the House of Representatives. It comes to your desk, do you veto it?”
In response, he opted to use the moment as an opportunity to raise concerns about Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-Vt.) proposed policy for Medicare for All.
Biden went on to express apprehension about the idea of signing that type of bill, citing concerns about the staggering cost of healthcare over the next decade.
“I would veto anything that delays providing the security and the certainty of health care being available now,” Biden said.
He continued, “If they got that through by some miracle, if some epiphany occurred, and some miracle occurred and said, ‘OK, it’s passed,’ then you got to look at the cost. I want to know how did they find $35 trillion?”
See Biden’s comments below:
Medicare for all is one of my top issues. My dad would probably be alive if we had it. If you want my vote you have to earn it. Corporate Dems are so persistent in telling me to fuck off, so I will. Even if Biden gets the nomination I won’t vote for him. pic.twitter.com/ivvUkBMZNX
— Secular Talk🎙 (@KyleKulinski) March 10, 2020
“My opposition isn’t to the principle that you should have Medicare. Everybody, health care should be a right in America. My opposition relates to whether or not, a, it’s doable, and, two, what the cost is and what the consequences to the rest of the budget are. How are going to find $35 trillion over the next 10 years without having profound impacts on everything from taxes for middle class, working class people, as well as the impact on the rest of the budget.”
While Biden has expressed apprehension about Medicare for All, he does have his own proposed plan to protect the Affordable Care Act.
Under Biden’s plan, those who earn more than $10 million would see a tax marginal increase of up to 52%. Biden has also proposed to raise employers’ income-based premium to 7.5%, while also increasing the corporate tax rate. However, Biden still insists the middle class would still suffer a substantial hit.
Biden asked, “What is that doing? Is it going to significantly raise taxes on the middle class, which it will? What’s going to happen?”
Sanders has laid out a list of how much his proposed plans would cost, as IJR previously reported. The Democratic presidential hopeful estimated that his Medicare for All plan would cost $30 trillion over the first 10 years.