Former Vice President Joe Biden on Monday announced a health care proposal he says would "build on" the Affordable Care Act, also slamming Democrats in favor of a Medicare-for-all plan.
Biden's proposal involves both introducing a Medicare-like public option and expanding tax credits to help lower the cost of purchasing health insurance through ObamaCare, offering assistance beyond those whose income is less than 400 percent of the poverty line, CNN reports.
Additionally, Biden said he would offer "premium-free access to the public option" to Americans who live in states that have not expanded Medicaid. The campaign said his health care plan will cost $750 billion over 10 years, and he plans to pay for it by raising taxes on the rich, The Washington Post reports.
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In a video on Monday announcing his proposal, Biden slammed the Democrats who have called for Medicare-for-all, particularly calling out Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) for raising their hands when asked in the recent 2020 Democratic debate if they would eliminate private insurance. Harris later said she misunderstood the question and would not eliminate private insurance.
"I understand the appeal of Medicare-for-all, but folks supporting it should make clear that it means getting rid of ObamaCare, and I'm not for that," Biden said. "Starting over makes no sense to me at all."
Biden went on to say that he "knew" Republicans would try to repeal ObamaCare, but "I'm surprised that so many Democrats are running on getting rid of it." Sanders will deliver a speech touting his Medicare-for-all proposal on Wednesday.
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