Former Vice President Joe Biden is criticizing Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-Vt.) Medicare for All in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak.
The two Democratic presidential contenders faced off during the Democratic primary debate on Sunday night in Washington, D.C. At one point during the debate, the coronavirus outbreak became a topic of conversation.
Sanders argued that his Medicare for All approach could be a means to a resolution. According to CNN, Sanders’ plan would guarantee healthcare coverage to all Americans at no cost.
“One of the reasons we are unprepared is we don’t have a system,” Sanders said, adding, “We’ve got thousands of private insurance plans. That is not a system.”
Despite Sanders’ arguments, Biden opted to label his approach as a “revolution” as opposed to a resolution.
“People are looking for results, not a revolution,” Biden said.
“That has nothing to do with the legitimate concern about income inequality in America. That’s real,” the former vice president added. “But that does not affect the need for us to act swiftly and very thoroughly and in concert with all the forces that we need to bring to bear to deal with the crisis now.”
Check out Biden’s remarks below:
Biden talks about results and not a revolution and applies it to the coronavirus economic fallout. #DemDebate pic.twitter.com/zneU2zKaf6
— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) March 16, 2020
Right now, due to the possible costs of testing, health care experts could be another contributing factor to the spread of the coronavirus, according to CNN.
With the heightened cost of health insurance, tens of millions of Americans are either uninsured or subjected to high out-of-pocket costs. With an average insurance deductible of $1,655, many Americans face an uphill financial battle before insurance even kicks in, according to Kaiser Family Foundation’s Employer Health Benefits Survey.
With the current state of emergency that the country is facing, Biden argues that Sanders’ “revolution” would not be the best approach to this time-sensitive matter.
Check out some of the highlights from the debate:
He also noted the time and resources that would be required to bring Sanders’ plan to fruition.
“He still hasn’t told you how he’s going to get it passed,” Biden said, adding, or “how he’s going to pay for it.”
Biden insists his plan for optional government health insurance would be more feasible, “I can get that passed. I can get that done.”