South Bend, Ind. Mayor Pete Buttigieg attacked Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s Medicare-for-all plan at Tuesday night’s Democratic debate, saying that his Medicare-"for-All-Who-Want-It" plan is "just better."
He has criticized single-payer at the last few debates, claiming it would "obliterate private plans."
But in a resurfaced tweet from last year, Buttigieg professed support for it.
"I, Pete Buttigieg, politician, do henceforth and forthwith declare, most affirmatively and indubitably, unto the ages, that I do favor Medicare for all, as I do favor any measure that would help get all Americans covered," Buttigieg wrote in a February 2018 tweet, responding to whether he supported it.
A Buttigieg aide Wednesday said that he had not changed his position on Medicare for all, explaining that he supports it as an end goal but he wants to take a "glide path" to get there, The Hill reported.
“What I'll say is that I've laid out a plan that now explains how we're going to get there, that makes Medicare available to all and at the same time doesn't do away with private plans," Buttigieg told a reporter Wednesday who asked if his position had changed.
He added that he doesn’t think private plans need to be gotten rid of to make Medicare available to everyone, according to The Hill.
At the debate, Warren said Buttiegieg’s plan was really “Medicare-for-all-who-can-afford-it.”
Former President Obama aide and "Pod Save America" host Jon Favreau tweeted Wednesday that both Buttigieg and Kamala Harris have changed their positions on Medicare-for-all.
"And there can be perfectly legitimate reasons for that," he wrote. "The difference is, Harris hasn’t been openly attacking her old position. Trickier to pull off!"
He has criticized single-payer at the last few debates, claiming it would "obliterate private plans."
But in a resurfaced tweet from last year, Buttigieg professed support for it.
"I, Pete Buttigieg, politician, do henceforth and forthwith declare, most affirmatively and indubitably, unto the ages, that I do favor Medicare for all, as I do favor any measure that would help get all Americans covered," Buttigieg wrote in a February 2018 tweet, responding to whether he supported it.
A Buttigieg aide Wednesday said that he had not changed his position on Medicare for all, explaining that he supports it as an end goal but he wants to take a "glide path" to get there, The Hill reported.
“What I'll say is that I've laid out a plan that now explains how we're going to get there, that makes Medicare available to all and at the same time doesn't do away with private plans," Buttigieg told a reporter Wednesday who asked if his position had changed.
He added that he doesn’t think private plans need to be gotten rid of to make Medicare available to everyone, according to The Hill.
At the debate, Warren said Buttiegieg’s plan was really “Medicare-for-all-who-can-afford-it.”
Former President Obama aide and "Pod Save America" host Jon Favreau tweeted Wednesday that both Buttigieg and Kamala Harris have changed their positions on Medicare-for-all.
"And there can be perfectly legitimate reasons for that," he wrote. "The difference is, Harris hasn’t been openly attacking her old position. Trickier to pull off!"
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