Trump attacks ‘Crazy Bernie’ Sanders over Medicare plans
President Trump on Monday attacked Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), a supporter of single-payer “Medicare for all,” over health care, claiming that Sanders “and his band of Congressional Dems” would outlaw Medicare Advantage.
“Open enrollment starts today on lower-priced Medicare Advantage plans so loved by our great seniors. Crazy Bernie and his band of Congressional Dems will outlaw these plans. Disaster!” Trump tweeted.
Open enrollment starts today on lower-priced Medicare Advantage plans so loved by our great seniors. Crazy Bernie and his band of Congressional Dems will outlaw these plans. Disaster!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 15, 2018
Medicare’s annual enrollment period began Monday and runs through Dec. 7. Medicare Advantage is the private insurance alternative to the Medicare program.{mosads}
Trump’s tweet comes after he penned an op-ed in USA Today last week criticizing “Medicare for all,” arguing Democrats advocating for the plan would harm seniors on the current Medicare program by expanding it to everyone.
Sanders on Thursday wrote his own op-ed in USA Today to hit back at the president.
“Given the president’s propensity to lie about almost everything, it is not surprising that Trump is grossly distorting what the Medicare for All legislation does,” Sanders wrote.
Sanders added that his plan would expand coverage to seniors, not harm them.
“Our proposal would not cut benefits for seniors on Medicare, as the president and his Republican allies claim,” Sanders writes. “In fact, we expand benefits.”
Meanwhile, the inspector general at the Department of Health and Human Services said in a recent report that the private Medicare Advantage programs, which Trump lauded on Twitter, have an incentive to deny claims from patients “in order to increase profit.”
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
