‘I wrote the damn bill!’ — Bernie responds to criticism of Medicare for All from Ryan and Delaney

By Audrey Conklin

2020 presidential candidate Bernie Sanders had a firm response to fellow candidate Tim Ryan’s accusation that he “doesn’t know” what kinds of benefits Medicare for All would provide on Tuesday.

“Medicare for All is comprehensive and covers all health-care needs for senior citizens. It will finally include dental care, hearing aids and eyeglasses,” Sanders said during the second round of Democratic presidential debates on CNN when asked about the specifics of how his universal health-care proposal would benefit union workers.

WIkimedia Commons/AFGE

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.

“You don’t know that, Bernie,” Ryan interrupted.

“I do know it. I wrote the damn bill,” Sanders quipped, earning applause from the audience.

“Many of our union brothers and sisters — nobody is more pro-union than me up here — are now paying high deductibles and co-payments, and when we do Medicare for All,  instead of having the company putting money into health care, they can get descent wage increases which they are not getting today,” Sanders continued.

“Sen. Sanders does not know the union contracts in the United States,” Ryan responded. “I’m trying to explain that these union members are loosing their jobs. Their wages have been stagnant. The world is crumbling around them.”

“The only thing they have is possibly really good health care, and the Democratic message is going to be, ‘We’re going to go in, and the only thing you have left, we’re going to take and we’re going to do better.’ I do not think that’s a recipe for success for us. It’s bad policy, and it’s certainly bad politics,” Ryan continued.

Sanders later explained that “under Medicare for All, hospitals will save substantial sums of money because they [wouldn’t] be spending a fortune doing billing and the other bureaucratic things they have to do today.”

John Delaney then weighed in on the issue, saying of Sanders, “His math is wrong. That’s all I’m saying. His math is wrong. It’s been well documented if all the bills were paid at Medicare rate, then many hospitals in this country would close.”

“I’ve been going around rural America and ask rural hospital administrators one question, if all your bills were paid at the Medicare rate last year, what would happen? They all look at me and say, ‘We would close,’” Delaney continued.

Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders introduced his universal health-care plan called “Medicare for All of 2017” in September 2017.

Sanders’ legislation states that “every individual who is a resident of the United States is entitled to benefits for health care services,” and “any individual entitled to benefits under [Medicare for All] may obtain health services from any institution, agency, or individual qualified to participate.”

Sanders has said that his health-care plan will require higher taxes on the middle class, but he claims those costs will cancel out because middle-class families will not have to pay out-of-pocket health-care costs.

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6 thoughts on “‘I wrote the damn bill!’ — Bernie responds to criticism of Medicare for All from Ryan and Delaney

  1. Every reasonable analysis of the costs for this plan is a minimum of 4 trillion a year. They entire federal budget is 4 trillion a year and this guy wants to double it. — Any rational person has think he’s a top notch buffoon.

  2. The only one missing from the debates is Chicken Little. And as Rush Limbaugh would say, “for those from Rio Linda”, he’s the guy running around shouting that the sky is falling. Will it ever end?

  3. Bernie stated Medicare for all would be limited to residence of the United States. That won’t last long if he champions the illegal immigrant votes

  4. John Delaney is the ONLY demontard with a oz of common sense in the clown car of dem wanna bees.. For the ol commie fool to come back at him
    in a yelling frothing manner showed burnees only qualified to be a disgruntled
    ol fart yelling at the dogs crapping on his lawn… NOT presidential material. The way he was yelling he must have been constipated for a week..

  5. Bernie only cares about himself, he’s kissing Union ass for promised votes and campaign cash. Some things never change. Bernie is an actor and he has fooled a lot of people.

  6. Socialist Sanders stating ” I wrote the damn bill”, and there lies the problem, you wrote
    this foolishness !!

    When Vermont’s Socialist Buffoon arms are flailing, get ready for an onslaught of pure
    BS.

    Sanders, he’s good at ways to spend other peoples money………………

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