Buttigieg attacks Sanders in new SC ad focusing on ‘Medicare for all’
As U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders gains momentum in the race for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg released an ad in South Carolina targeting the new national front-runner.
Buttigieg’s campaign released a TV ad statewide Saturday attacking Sanders over his plan to open up Medicare to all Americans and get rid of private insurance.
“On health care, there’s a choice. Bernie Sanders’ Medicare for all would completely eliminate private insurance, forcing 150 million Americans off their current plans, including 20 million seniors on Medicare advantage,” the ad said.
The ad tout’s Buttigieg’s “Medicare for all who want it” plan, which would provide a public insurance option by allowing anyone to opt into Medicare, even in states that chose not to expand the program after the Affordable Care Act passed. It would also allow private insurance companies to continue to operate and allow consumers to choose whether to stay on their existing plan.
Buttigieg’s campaign claims his plan would lower insurance costs. In an op-ed in The Washington Post, Buttigieg wrote that the plan would cost about $1.5 trillion over ten years, which would be paid for by corporate tax reforms and cost savings.
“Everyone gets access to Medicare if they choose, but if you like your private plan, you can keep it,” the ad says. “Instead of polarization, progress.”
The TV ad comes shortly after a radio ad released by the Buttigieg campaign that also focuses on Medicare. The 60-second spot also compares Buttigieg’s plan with Sanders’.
Sanders has surged nationally after wins in Nevada and New Hampshire. In Iowa — a complicated caucus plagued with issues and questions about the results — Sanders jockeyed with Buttigieg for first but lost by a slim margin.
In a recent South Carolina primary poll conducted by Winthrop University, Sanders picked up 19% support of Democratic voters in the state, closing in on longtime S.C. front-runner former Vice President Joe Biden, who led the poll with 24% support. According to the poll, about one-fifth of voters questioned were still undecided just days before the First in the South primary.
This story was originally published February 24, 2020 at 10:55 AM.
