Bernie (and Biden) make clumsy, false swipes at Kamala Harris' Medicare for All plan

[bigtree]

Last edited Tue Jul 30, 2019, 10:48 AM - Edit history (1)

...Kamala campaign communication's director, Ian Sams (and others), riding herd on the critiques:

from Bernie...

Topher Spiro @TopherSpiro 56m
I have studied plans that privatize Medicare for many years. This claim is absurd.

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...Paul Krugman:

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...then Biden:

Steadman™@AsteadWesley
Scathing Team Biden statement on Harris M4A plan:

The "plan that both backtracks on her long-promised – but then-hedged – support of Bernie Sanders' Medicare for All legislation while at the same time committing to still unraveling the hard-won Affordable Care Act."

Sam Stein @samstein
Biden goes after Harris’ M4A plan: "A Bernie Sanders-lite Medicare for All and a refusal to be straight with the American middle class, who would have a large tax increase forced on them with this plan. "

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[stonecutter357]

1. let's go Joe !

[crazytown]

2. Krugman: Exemplifies everything wrong with (the Sanders) campaign

Ouch.

[crazytown]

3. The Biden campaign is bearing it's teeth,

which is reassuring for the General, but a strategic mistake this early in the campaign. The tried and tested response is to talk about common ground, and whatever bits you like, before going in hard later on about the funding and getting it through congress. HRC and Obama didn't 'come to blows' on health care until Ohio.

[bigtree]

4. I'd think this catches them off-guard a bit

...I would have expected Joe to open in the debate with his strong suit, and defend Obamacare against undefined plans that he could claim were a threat to his administration's signature achievement.

then this happened...

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[crazytown]

5. "There are elements in the plan that, at first glance,

look attractive, the expansion of medicare coverage to more services for example, but the devil is in the details. I need to see the full proposal. What I can say is that in 2018, voters stepped out in overwhelming numbers to support the ACA. The Republicans want to scrap it, and it concerns me that some candidates ...." (implicating Harris without naming her - and if asked, blasting Sanders ... noting Harris was co-sponser)

[bigtree]

6. it's a solid stance for Biden to defend Obamacare

...the moment is his, if he can manage to make it about the future, and not get caught misrepresenting other efforts to expand on the deliberately-organic Affordable Care Act and have that lead the coverage.

[crazytown]

7. 'manage to make it about the future'

I agree - that's the key. It's the key to his whole campaign.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

8. Medicare Advantage has been ripping off seniors/providers. Why funnel more victims to that system?

Kathleen Sibelius now sits on the board of Solera health.


Gee, what could possibly go wrong with expanding the private portion of Medicare?

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/13/us/politics/medicare-claims-private-plans.html

Medicare Advantage Plans Found to Improperly Deny Many Claims

WASHINGTON — Medicare Advantage plans, the popular private-insurance alternative to the traditional Medicare program, have been improperly denying many medical claims to patients and physicians alike, federal investigators say in a new report.

[Hoyt]

9. Harris' plan is just M4A transitioned over 10 years vs. Sanders' 4 years.

At the end of 10 years, if not sooner, there will be no need for private plans -- like Medicare Advantage -- because supposedly, according to Sanders, Harris, Warren, there will be no coinsurance, deductibles, need for drug plans, and dental and vision will be included under their proposals/promises.

[Andy823]

10. K&R nt

[SidDithers]

11. DU rec...nt

Sid