According to a new report from The Hill , former Vice President Joe Biden’s presidential campaign appears to have embarked on an effort to advocate for the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare, while slamming Medicare for All.
When it comes to the health care debate, which has taken center stage in the Democratic primary, Biden is not willing to compromise, according to his Deputy Campaign Manager and Communications Director Kate Bedingfield.
“Joe Biden has been very clear: he will not support any policy that means getting rid of Obamacare. He will oppose Republican efforts; he will oppose Democratic efforts.”
Praising Obamacare as a landmark legislation with which the Democratic Party took back the House of Representatives, Bedingfield urged in a Medium post that Democrats unite and protect former President Barack Obama’s signature policy.
“With all of these renewed threats, as Democrats we should be presenting a united front to protect the law we rallied together to pass,” she wrote.
In a thinly-waled jab at Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who has long called for single-payer healthcare, Bedingfield discussed what she claims are the downsides of his Medicare for All plan, urging other candidates in the race to have a conversation about the issue “on the trail.”
She also expressed confidence that voters will — once they “look beyond Twitter and catch-phrases” — see for themselves which plan is better and which plan has a better chance of resulting in universal health care coverage.
The Biden campaign’s effort to promote Obamacare comes following a public squabble between Sanders and Biden.
As previously reported by The Inquistr , after Biden dismissed Sanders’ proposal as unrealistic and expensive, the Vermont senator — along with progressive journalists and activists — responded by fact-checking the former vice president’s claims.
Biden argued that a push for Medicare for All would result in a six-month hiatus, only to get accused of “casually lying about a mystery wait period” by journalist Adam H. Johnson. Progressive publications joined the conversation as well, accusing the front-runner of spreading misinformation.
Medicare for All is not only the moral thing to do. It is not only the economic thing to do. It is what the American people want. pic.twitter.com/L0ytna0qsH
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) July 19, 2019
Sanders described Biden’s claims as “preposterous,” adding that he hopes “my fellow Democrats would not resort to misinformation about my legislation.”
Unlike Sanders, who is staunchly opposed to big money fundraisers and corporate campaign donations, Biden has embraced the health insurance industry, according to reports.
In fact, the former vice president’s first campaign fundraiser was hosted corporate lobbyists, Republican donors, and health insurance executives.
JUST IN: Biden unveils health care plan with new subsidies, public option https://t.co/uydCrxIhCw pic.twitter.com/kKsfYSSRzr
— The Hill (@thehill) July 15, 2019
Polar opposites on virtually all key issues, Biden and Sanders have topped most Democratic primary polls. The former vice president is the absolute front-runner, however, and — according to a RealClearPolitics average of polling data — maintains a comfortable, double-digit lead over the rest of the field.