Presidential Candidate Pete Buttigieg insisted Thursday that he has always been opposed to the implementation of Medicare for All, and disregarded a 2018 tweet in which he wrote that he supported the health care policy as having not been serious.
In aFeb. 18, 2018 tweet that Buttigieg said was simply part of a "playful Twitter exchange," the South Bend, Ind., mayor wrote that "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 said on Boston Public Radio Thursday that the tweet was not indicative that he has changed his position, and that he has always been consistent in his statements about health care.
Since announcing his candidacy in April, Buttigieg has prominently attacked Medicare for All as being both a financial and political risk.
“There are some purists out there who say it only counts if you eliminate all private insurance. I just don’t think that’s the right answer for the country,” Buttigieg said. “I have been consistent on that before, while and since entering the presidential race, and I think one of the reasons why we’re resonating is most voters agree with me.”
In the last few months, Buttigieg has escalated his rhetoric against Medicare for All, calling it too ambitious, expensive and unlikely to make its way through Congress. Instead, Buttigieg proposes creating a government-sponsored plan that is affordable for all Americans while allowing those with private plans to keep their insurance. He has dubbed this plan “Medicare for All Who Want It.”
Buttigieg said that he is not opposed to the concept of Medicare for All. On Thursday, he said that his grievance with those who support the policy, like Sen. Elizabeth Warren, is that the bill is still too vague and requires private health insurance to be phased out.
“As I have said, as somebody who believes in the philosophy of Medicare for All, that if you allow those words to escape your lips, you have a responsibility to talk about how to get there. And my way of getting there does not involve forcing people onto it,” Buttigieg said.
