Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton vowed Sunday to defend Obamacare from Republicans’ efforts to repeal it, and from fellow candidate Sen. Bernard Sanders’ plans to replace it with a socialized medicine plan that would put the government in control of all health spending.
Mrs. Clinton said Democrats need to embrace President Obama’s Affordable Care Act and find ways to tweak it, calling it “a path to universal health care.” But she said any major revamp could risk the entire system.
“To start over again with a whole new debate is something that I think would set us back,” she said as she, Mr. Sanders and former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley squared off in a debate.
She has accused Mr. Sanders of trying to dismantle Obamacare with his universal coverage plan, which he’s dubbed “Medicare for all.” But Mr. Sanders says he’s not undoing Obamacare, but rather making good on its initial promise of universal coverage — a promise he said it has fallen short on, leaving 29 million people still without coverage.
“What a Medicare for all program does is finally provide in this country health care for every man, woman and child as a right,” he said.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
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