Pete Buttigieg calls 'Medicare for All' and free college plans 'questionable on their merits'

[brooklynite]

CNN

Washington (CNN)Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg weighed in on his opponents' plans to implement "Medicare for All" and free college tuition, calling them "questionable on their merits" and "pretty far out from where Americans are."

"I do think that we should be realistic about what's going to work. And just flipping a switch and saying we're instantly going to have everybody on Medicare just like that -- isn't realistic," the South Bend, Indiana, mayor said in an interview with CNN's David Axelrod slated to air Saturday night.

"I think that when it comes to a lot of these policies that we're being pushed to do -- say that we can pay down the last penny of tuition for any student including the child of a billionaire. These are things that are questionable on their merits and of course also pretty far out ... from where Americans are."

In the crowded Democratic field, a majority of candidates have said they support some form of a single-payer health care, but disagreement over how to achieve universal health care has come to the forefront both on the campaign trail and on the debate stage. Of the 20 candidates on the two debate stages during the first round of Democratic debates, just four raised their hands when asked who backed the elimination of private health insurance -- Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Kamala Harris of California, along with New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.

[theaocp]

1. Cool story.

More folks telling us what we can't have. See ya.

[qazplm135]

16. so other than progressive politicians

who's voting for this in the House? The Senate?

None of the moderates are voting for it, they'd be wiped out the next election.

So ya, you can't have it right at this moment because you can't pass it.

[brooklynite]

23. You know the best way to not get things? Lose the election.

[NYMinute]

75. +1000

Historically, the "Candidate X or bust" people get NOTHING when republicans win but they're happy that X has another shot.

[Locrian]

42. funny how they never mention all the other stuff....

like the military, tax cuts for the rich, subsidies, bank bailouts, automotive bail outs

And when we want what most other developed countries want we're asking for unicorns and rainbows.

Just look at health care. It's pretty simple - HC is *cheaper* if its single payer - but it cuts out the middle-man profits, and all the huge inefficient (by design to make $$) insurance industry.

It comes down to the people vs big money, simple as that. Who are you representing?

[Honeycombe8]

53. Please develop your detailed plan, and what it will cost, and submit it.

Let's see what your plan looks like.

HC is the hardest thing of all. I'm not sure you know what goes into HC reform. Even the ACA wasn't enacted overnight. After it passed, it was phased in over several years. It also took several years in the making and passing. It also required deals with Big Pharma and Big Insurance.

No plan is perfect. Cost is the #1 thing, besides actually getting health care to citizens.

And don't forget...many of the Democrats want to give free HC to any immigrant who can make it into the country, regardless of how they got here. Millions from around the world will flock here for the health care. That exorbitant cost will need to be part of the reform bill.

[CTyankee]

56. Well first, having everyoone with basic health care is not only humane, but is in our self interest.

It is very dangerous to society to have people with no immunizations against many diseases. That is a matter of public health. Having disease run rampant in our society is not good, obvously. It's a no brainer and if it must be explained over and over again, so be it.

The newly arrived immigrant may not have the immunizations he or she needs. It makes no sense not to offer care that provides such immunizations, if out of our own self interest alone.

There is also our humanitarianism. We are a very rich country. We have the resources to make this work. We had no crisis at the border under Obama. It is the hideous work of this president who would undo that and lead to chaos and disease.

I'm sorry, but I don't see those hordes flocking here "from around the world." Yes, we have to work with the Latin American countries where people desperately need basic care and they will attempt to get here our of that desperation. Obama worked with their governments, IIRC, and that is what we need now.

[Locrian]

77. plan?

Number 1 - stop with the admission of defeat before the battle is even begun
Number 2 - look and talk with just about every industrialized country to see how they've done it
Number 3 - stop taking money from all the healthcare and insurance companies so you represent the people vs the corporations
Number 4 - be a leader instead so worried about your donors (see number 3)
Number 5 - actually hold discussions aout it
Number 6 - admit that the vast majority of the people actually want hc vs the propaganda that it's a "far left" thing


Of all - I think number 3 is probably the root cause of why it's so "hard" .....

[Honeycombe8]

78. There are lofty goals, and then there is pie in the sky.

In order to be taken seriously, a plan must be achievable. It's an activist plan, not a legislative plan. Activist plans are pie in the sky, rev up their base, but are not really things that are realistic or feasible.

Please draw up your plans, complete with a timeline and cost, and submit it to the govt. Only then will you see that this "plan" is a child's wish list and not related to reality.

Being positive that there is a tooth fairy doesn't make tooth fairy existence more likely.

By the time you completed updating a fraction of existing buildings, it would take so long and be such an enormous project, that it would be time to condemn and demolish some of the buildings.

It's not feasible. And there are far better use of those trillions of dollars than that, even if it could be done. Which it can't.

What can be done is require a higher standard for all new buildings. And that would cause the real estate market to bust, as increased building costs decimate the real estate market and make home ownership even less likely than it is now.

Legislators know these are difficult issues and will take difficult solutions, which include a consensus and feasible plan with verifiable results, and cost estimates that are preferably paid for in some way. Activists don't concern themselves with such things, which is why this plan is an activist plan rather than a realistic legislative plan.

[Locrian]

82. did you cut and paste from the wrong post?

Buildings? Unless you're talking hospitals or ??? your responded to a healthcare post with real estate / home ownership?

But back to health care - look it comes down to values which is how you at least START the discussion. demanding detailed plans at this stage are a cop out - they're *never* required for war, tax cuts, etc. Right? Somehow that gets done ... weird huh?

If a candidate doesn't even want to fight for something it will never get done. Even when its supported by the vast majority - because it's not a problem of consensus or funding: it's who they're working for, and more, what they values are: if someone doesn't agree that people are dying *right now*, going bankrupt, etc and that there should be at least a push in the direction, then fine - own it and move on. Just admit that profits are more important.

But don't say it's "the tooth fair" when we have the resources and examples the world over. It's a CHOICE. At least make it a choice vs giving up.

[cwydro]

2. I think he's very likely right on this.

And I don’t believe a single candidate who promises all this will be able to deliver. Just realism.

[murielm99]

3. Thank you for being honest, Pete.

We will have to search for ways to fund health care for all and ways to bring down student loan debt through concrete, sensible programs. I am glad you know this. We don't need pie in the sky ideas that cannot be achieved.

[YOHABLO]

4. "pretty far out from where Americans are." So just where are Americans Pete?

Strapped with medical bills, strapped with payments on student loans?

[Honeycombe8]

54. There is the ACA.

Who isn't getting HC right now? Besides the older middle class segment, who were priced out of the ACA because of triple premiums.

[mobeau69]

5. Pete wants fo offer something like Medicare on the exchanges for people who want it.

He believes that over time more and more people will chose it once they see it actually working for others.
This idea can't be attacked as "Democrats wanting to take your health care away". Pete believes it will lead to universal coverage eventually.

Pete also has a problem with asking Americans who don't go to college to pay for college for others, particularly for the children of millionaires and billionaires.

[Turin_C3PO]

9. I like

the idea of making two years of community college free. I’m also interested in plans that would substantially reduce tuitions at four year universities.

[Indygram]

25. Sounds exactly like Beto's plan to me

Free 2 year community college, expand apprenticeship programs through unions for those who don't want to go to college and debt free 4 year college and refinance current loans at lowest rates...and financial aid forgiveness for public school teachers or people who work in the VA or in public service.

[CTyankee]

58. I think the plan for college tuition can be expanded to include training for work in such areas as

construction, plumbing, etc which don't require a college education but rather worker training. Not everyone wants to go to college so there should always be that option. Community college is a good area for expansion and for funding. Not everyone can qualify to go to Harvard, Yale or Princeton but when they do, those elite schools have huge endowments established for just that reason. For the rest there should be more available funding and flexible schedules for those who work days and need classes at night and weekends. We can build on that.

[msongs]

6. medicare as one option to those who choose it nt

[Honeycombe8]

55. There is no budget in Medicare for those who don't already qualify...

There is no budget in Medicare for those who don't already qualify and who haven't been paying into it for decades. It's financial soundness isn't that great, either.

There are no laws, and no accounting or stats to show how to pay for it, if the person hasn't been paying into it for decades. It's funded by FICA taxes paid by employees and employers.

If you're talking about re-doing the entire Medicare system, it's better just to do a separate system. Hey...there is one! It's called the ACA.

Revise the ACA to pick up those who fell thru the cracks.

[moose65]

64. Yes, it's funded by FICA, but...

It also covers people who have never paid in. My grandmother, who died in 2012 at age 92, was born in 1920 and like many women of her generation, she never worked at a job where she paid Medicare taxes. Yet, when she turned 65 she was covered by Medicare. It doesn’t matter if you’ve paid into it for 40 years or not - if you’re a citizen, you are covered. And your level of coverage doesn’t depend on how much you’ve paid in over the years.

[Honeycombe8]

70. It was DESIGNED to cover whoever is now covered. Your grandma had another qualifying reason....

she was either disabled or was married to someone who paid FICA taxes, or was the child of someone who paid into Medicare, etc., after age 65. The general public can't buy into Medicare. You have to qualify, and Medicare was designed for it. Although this "disability" part of SS and Medicare is the part that is putting financial pressure on the two programs, is what I read...BECAUSE IT'S NOT BASED ON THE PAYMENT OF THE TAXES, like the rest of it.

You can qualify after age 65 to receive free Medicare Part A, Hospital Insurance, based on the eligibility of your spouse, whether living or deceased, even if you are divorced from the person. Medicare’s Hospital Insurance covers inpatient care at hospitals and other health care facilities. You might be Medicare-eligible if your spouse is eligible for or received Railroad Retirement or Social Security retirement benefits, or if you receive those retirement benefits based on your spouse’s employment or eligibility. You also might qualify for Medicare based on your spouse’s federal employment and payment of Medicaid taxes, or if you are the dependent parent of a deceased child who was fully insured under Medicare.

If you qualify for free Medicare Part A, you may enroll in and pay an income-based monthly premium for Medicare Part B, Medical Insurance, which covers outpatient care from doctors and other health care providers. If you are not eligible for free Medicare Part A, you can still enroll in Medicare Part B and pay a monthly premium for the benefit if you are age 65 or older and a U.S. citizen or legal non-citizen with U.S. residency of five years or more . You can enroll voluntarily in Medicare Part D, Prescription Drug Plan, if you receive benefits through Medicare Part A or B.

...your Medicare eligibility might require that you meet Social Security disability requirements.

https://pocketsense.com/can-medicare-ive-never-worked-7818834.html

[dsc]

67. actually most people who favor that, including Buttigieg

think people should be able to be buy in at the cost of Medicare on the exchanges (so one assumes using the subsidies if they qualify)

[Honeycombe8]

68. They don't know what they're talking about. Basic Medicare is NOTHING.....

I can hear the complaints now. What? I have to pay $135 a month for THAT? No prescription coverage, no doctor coverage, and a deductible, too? No birth control, no maternity coverage. What?

No....it WON'T be Medicare. It will have to be done away with and reworked into something else, for the masses.

If they change it to be like the ACA, or to handle the masses, the cost WILL TRIPLE (because the ACA is set up for older people to pay triple rates...that's right....TRIPLE RATES).

So that "Medicare" could be $405 instead of $135 for no birth control, no maternity,no drug coverage, no doctor coverage.

If you start adding prescription and doctor coverage, and the triple rates....YOU END UP WITH THE ACA INDIVIDUAL COVERAGE.

So what's the point? It's just a plan to gut Medicare and take the FICA taxes out.

[dsc]

69. To be eligible for the exchange it would have to cover more things

to be honest I think it is more like Medicaid for all than Medicare for all.

[Honeycombe8]

72. Then that's not Medicare, is it? You're talking about abolishing Medicare.

And THAT is not gonna fly in this country. The Republicans have been after doing just that, and now the Democrats are, too?

[virgogal]

79. I' m on Medicare and have doctor coverage.

[Honeycombe8]

80. It's not part of basic Medicare. It's optional, and you must buy it separately.

It's not the basic Medicare.

I had to look up on my notes, to make sure I got this right. I have most of the parts, so I forget the details.

Part A - This is basic Medicare. When you enroll in Medicare, this is what you're enrolling in. NO COST. $1,340 deductible. Covers hospitals.

Part B - Optional. You have to choose to enroll in this. It costs $135.50/month (more, if you are high income). About a $160 deductible and 20% coinsurance. Covers doctors.

Part D - Prescription coverage. Optional. You buy this in the private market, so cost varies.

Dental & vision - Have to buy this in the private market, so cost varies. If you choose to get it at all.


Medicare participants can buy any number of private ins. policies that are required to operate in accordance w/Medicare rules, and which fill in all or some of the gaps that Medicare doesn't cover. If a person can't afford any extra cost, then all s/he'll get is Part A Medicare, is my understanding. Medicare Part A is "the" Medicare that we seniors are guaranteed, after paying our taxes for it over the years.

[Honeycombe8]

73. Pete does not favor buying into Medicare. It's separate from Medicare....

Pete supports achieving Medicare for All through a pathway that helps improve people’s lives along the way while allowing the economy to adjust. He calls this “Medicare for All Who Want It.” This plan makes a Medicare-type public option available on the exchange and invites people to buy into it: if corporate insurers don’t lower costs to deliver something dramatically better than what is available today, competition will create the glide path toward Medicare for All.

To allow buying into Medicare as a public option would destroy Medicare. It would literally not be Medicare, anymore.

The ACA is for young people. It is NOT senior-friendly. Keep your hands off Medicare, which is designed for seniors. No one else in this country is going to make sure that seniors' needs are taken care of at reasonable cost, besides the Medicare system. No one. We've seen it first hand with the ACA.

[BeyondGeography]

7. How very big-money friendly!

[mobeau69]

11. What, non-college educated workers paying for college for the children of big-money?

[BeyondGeography]

13. Easy dodge

Where does he stand on student debt relief?

[mobeau69]

14. One thing he talks about is having the ability to refinance it like you can do with a mortgage.

[BeyondGeography]

19. IOW, more fees for banks

I like it, said Mr. Wall St.

[mobeau69]

20. You wouldn't have to refinance it if it wasn't to your advantage. Just like a home.

These pie in the sky promises of "free this" and "free that" will play right into trumps hand.

If we don't win the election we get nothing.

[BeyondGeography]

27. I like Pete but he's a bit of an empty vessel policy-wise

Which bothers me. Starting out at McKinsey and taking all the big money he can is another. As a nominee I’d have no issues but right now I prefer someone else.

[mobeau69]

33. He left McKinsey to pursue a higher calling; to make a meaningful difference with his life.

He was searching for the shortest way home. He goes into this decision in his book. A very good read BTW.

BTW, Warren has been doing a great job on the stump. She's a smart one for sure.

[ChiTownDenny]

34. These two are the smartest people running

and I like them both.

[BeyondGeography]

41. Warren/Pete night be too much candle power for America

But I can think of far worse ideas.

[Celerity]

59. Buttigieg staggers his student loan debt relief based off ability to pay

The US electorate is unfortunately too far skewed to the right (hello RW gerrymandering and voter suppression for decades) to elect a POTUS candidate running on a massive, near total (or even somewhat partial) redo of all the major issues, let alone get it passed.

Even the things that many dismiss as too mild and slur as tied to big money (the public option, free community college, etc) are going to be a MASSIVE struggle, even if we win POTUS, retake the Senate, and hold the House.Half our House caucus are centrist/moderates and it only takes 20 or so to scupper any major legislation. Look at the Border bill mess.

[Politicub]

32. The children of big money will still go to private schools like Harvard and the other Ivys.

Nothing is going to change there.

The public college option will be available to all who want it. I see it more as a great equalizer of class rather than something that the wealthy will gravitate toward.

I don't get the problem with expanding the idea of public education to include four year degrees after high school. It's not as far fetched as you are making it seem. The public will not be paying for Brown or Columbia or Yale.

[CTyankee]

60. The Ivy League schools want talent and are willing to pay for it. They can be virtually free for

very poor kids who are promising. The Ivies pay for it out of their HUGE endowments which they have built over many, many years. Private wealth has been enlightened for a long time.

[GulfCoast66]

39. Free college would be another perk for the upper middle class

Paid for by Americans, many of whom college is not in their future.

We have already found the solution for this. Increase Pell grants and give aid to those who can’t afford it. Make college aid income based and greatly increase the amount allocated.

Paying for college for the kid of folks like my wife and me and many of our friends is not progressive. It more gifts to those who do not need it.

[Eric J in MN]

8. Imagine having free K-12 for the

...children of billionaires.

We do.

Now a college degree is as important as a high school degree was in the 1950s.

[mobeau69]

12. It's not really free.

[Eric J in MN]

21. A free service is

...when users of the service don't pay more than people who don't use the service.

You probably pay taxes which fund your local library. The library is free because if you go there you don't pay more than if you don't go there.

[qazplm135]

18. property taxes

it's not free, it's paid for via property taxes in most places.

And college is different from K-12. There's no reason to spend a single dime paying for the rich to send their kids to school.

Use that money to improve our K-12 schools.

[mobeau69]

24. They argue that the wealthy send their kids to private colleges but

if public colleges are "free" a lot of them will be taking advanced of that. You can bet on it. After all, there are a lot of great public colleges. I.e. Michigan has a better rated law school than Notre Dame.

[qazplm135]

35. I went to Purdue for undergrad

which is a pretty elite school for engineering as are most of the B10 schools.

Law school was Tier 1 (barely) and also public.

[mobeau69]

43. Boiler Up!

[Cha]

10. Good.. someone else calling this out

besides Biden.

In the crowded Democratic field, a majority of candidates have said they support some form of a single-payer health care, but disagreement over how to achieve universal health care has come to the forefront both on the campaign trail and on the debate stage. Of the 20 candidates on the two debate stages during the first round of Democratic debates, just four raised their hands when asked who backed the elimination of private health insurance -- Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Kamala Harris of California, along with New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.

[grantcart]

45. Yep. People bizzarly think Medicare is an insurance plan paid for by premiums

And all you have to do is redirect premiums and it will be magically funded.

Medicare is not health insurance.

[MBS]

15. Watch tonight's Axe files interview (7 pm EDT) to see this in full context.

7-8 pm
(officially episode 29 of season 1, if you have to access the video later).

[mobeau69]

17. Pete wants to make not going to college affordable, too.

We don't hear much about that from others. We should.

[Sherman A1]

22. Andrew Yang on Vocational Education

PROMOTE VOCATIONAL EDUCATION

It seems we’re preparing our children for college earlier and earlier. College readiness is a driving force behind many educational decisions in this country. This has resulted in only 6% of American high school students being enrolled in a vocational program (in 2013), whereas comparable European nations have numbers closer to 50%.

For those that do start college, graduating isn’t a sure thing. 6 years after first enrolling, fewer than 60% of students have attained a degree. If you look at only open-admissions schools, the number drops to 32%. That represents a huge investment of money and time on the part of Americans that doesn’t lead them to a positive outcome.

On the other side, the underemployment rate for recent college grads is approaching 44%, and one-third end up in jobs that don’t require the degree they earned.

College is being over-prescribed in this country. Not everyone has an interest in obtaining a college degree, and there are many jobs out there that don’t require it. Georgetown has estimated that there are 30 million good-paying jobs out there that don’t require a college degree. Most require some type of specialized training.

As a country, we need to dramatically increase our investment in vocational training, providing a viable career path for those students who are more interested in starting their careers immediately after high school instead of continuing with an education they don’t want but feel obligated to get. https://www.yang2020.com/policies/promoting-vocational-education/

[mobeau69]

29. Yes, I watched him talking about this the other evening.

He is an interesting candidate, too.

We need fresh faces to lead us forward. Not old, self-entitled white men. That just won't work anymore.

[Indygram]

28. Beto's been saying that for months

So there are others who have been saying it. Not as many as should be, thought.

[mobeau69]

30. I haven't seen Beto in what seems like ages.

[highplainsdem]

26. K&R

[Vegas Roller]

31. A Rhodes scholar speaks

and he has far more academic credibility than someone who has only named two post offices.

[progressoid]

66. David Vitter and Bobby Jindal are also Rhodes scholars.

Let's take advice from them too?

[Thekaspervote]

36. Very credible. President Obama agrees in saying we shouldn't be offering everything for free

There is credibility in this. I taught for a few years at a small vocational school and found that students that had to work for what they got went a lot farther in making a career for themselves. When it was just given to them, many did absolutely nothing with it.

[SMC22307]

37. Medicare at 55 would get people my age...

to the polls in record numbers.

[Kahuna7]

47. Yep. Medicare should include 55+.

[Lucid Dreamer]

38. Nothing is "free."

Everything is paid for by somebody.

Everybody wants it to be somebody else.

[leftofcool]

40. At least he is honest about it

[watoos]

44. So what?

Post another right wing talking point I can scoff at.

[AncientGeezer]

57. Mayor Pete's comment is a "right wing talking point"? Huh

Last edited Sun Jul 14, 2019, 12:19 AM - Edit history (1)

[Kahuna7]

46. Who to believe? Bernie or Pete and Joe....Bernie or Pete and Joe?...

I would probably go with Pete and Biden.

[Cha]

65. Yes, every time.. Biden and Buttigieg!

[yaesu]

48. the fascist party is slowly dismantling Medicare just like they are doing ACA

they are cutting back on drug coverage, new signups will have big deductibles to pay for starting next year. So everything we get passed will be destroyed by the fascists. By the way, for every dollar a government spends on free higher education it gets back 7 dollars in economic stimulus. This is why every other country has some sort of free higher education.

[watoos]

50. There you go with logic

ruining the theme of this thread.

[colorado_ufo]

49. I won't speak to the college issue, but I will speak to health care:

Yes, it actually IS this simple. Everything is in place to expand Medicare to all, and the private insurance companies can provide supplemental insurance like they do right now (that my husband and I pay for, as well as paying Medicare premiums). Bringing younger people with better health into the mix will lower costs even more, and the cost savings of streamlining this system would be tremendous. I predict that Medicare payments to doctors and hospitals would INCREASE and cost to consumers would DECREASE, and no one would lose a job.

This fight over Medicare for all is just political rhetoric.

I was actually working for doctors when Medicare came into being. They were hugely upset by it and predicted, out loud, that no one would ever want to go to medical school, as they could not make a living. Well, it's been decades, and medical schools are so crowded that it is difficult to get in, and doctors still manage to make a pretty good living (depending on their practice to some degree). I have also worked for insurance companies.

Yes, it IS this simple.

[Honeycombe8]

51. He's right about free college. The health care issue - who knows? It's the hardest issue of all.

No one has the answer, and there is no quick fix. People need health care. No one really knows how to give us all access to it. Maybe building on the ACA, like Biden says, is the best place to start. (With Biden, however, I think it'll end there. He'll just go back to the way things were, which isn't the answer.)

Pete is brave to say it like it is.

[beachbum bob]

52. More true than not

[Celerity]

61. Pete speaks in reality-based positing yet again

[BootinUp]

62. I think he's going to be Biden's top

Opponent.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

63. Oh for fucks sake. Billionaires' kids don't have student loans.

It’s bad enough I have to listen to my freezer in-laws worry someone might get something they don’t get.

[Humanist_Activist]

71. Unpaid student loans and college that's too expensive for the majority to take advantage of...

is going to lead the United States to be noncompetitive on the world stage in an economy predicated on Capitalism and free trade.

The debt will weigh down on growth as people will have to pay back the loans rather than contribute to the economy. On top of this, many will forgo higher education altogether which will lower college retention, enrollment and graduation. Given how our economy is structured, this will lead to the continued lowering of living standards until we reach a floor probably equivalent to currently heavily exploited nations such as Mexico or Guatamala.

[NYMinute]

74. Mayor Pete is 100% correct. nt

[JCMach1]

81. Full-stop, no