Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg accused Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren of wanting to force everyone into a government healthcare plan because they don’t believe people can make the right decisions for themselves.
“The problem Sen. Sanders with that damn bill that you wrote, and Sen. Warren backs, is that it doesn’t trust the American people,” Buttigieg said Thursday at the Democratic debate in Houston. “I trust you to choose what makes the most sense for you. Not my way or the highway.”
Buttigieg supports a bill known as “Medicare for America,” which he has dubbed “Medicare for all who want it.” The plan would automatically enroll the uninsured and people who buy their own coverage into a government plan, while letting employers offer public plans to their workers.
In contrast, Warren and Sanders support having everyone living in the U.S. enrolled into a single government plan, and doing away with private health insurance. About 180 million people in America get coverage through private plans, the majority of whom get it through their jobs.
Buttigieg said during the debate that his proposal would go “far beyond tinkering” with Obamacare, and said that if the public decides that the government plan is better than private insurance then people will flock there themselves instead.
“I trust the American people to make the right choice for them,” Buttigieg said. “Why don’t you?”
