Julián Castro to Joe Biden: 'I'm fulfilling the legacy of Barack Obama, and you're not'


Julián Castro went straight for the jugular during Thursday night's Democratic debate, telling former Vice President Joe Biden that when it comes to health care, "I'm fulfilling the legacy of Barack Obama, and you're not."
Castro told Biden that his health care plan would leave 10 million people without coverage, while he wants "every single American family to have a strong Medicare plan available. If they choose to hold on to strong, solid private health insurance I believe they should be able to do that, but the difference between what I support and what you support, Vice President Biden, is that you require them to opt-in, and I would not require them to opt-in." He added, "Barack Obama's vision was not to leave 10 million people uncovered. He wanted every single person in this country covered. My plan would do that, your plan would not."
Biden interjected, saying people would not have to buy-in under his plan. "Are you forgetting what you said two minutes ago?" Castro shot back, a line that earned "oooohs" from the audience. "If you lose your job, for instance, his health care plan would not automatically enroll you, you would have to opt in," Castro continued. "That's the big difference — I'm fulfilling the legacy of Barack Obama and you're not." In response, Biden muttered, "That'll be a surprise to him." Cue more "oooohs."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
It appears as though it's actually Castro who forgot what happened two minutes ago, several Twitter fact-checkers said. Julie Rover, chief Washington correspondent for Kaiser Health News, tweeted that Biden's plan would actually "auto-enroll everyone under 138 percent of poverty — the population currently eligible for the Medicaid expansion in states that have adopted it."
The Daily Beast's Sam Stein also backed Biden's version of events, saying that he "re-watched the segments where Biden talked health care and it seems pretty clear to me that Castro is, well, wrong. He never said opt-in. He said that if people lose their jobs they can automatically buy into Medicare." Stein later tweeted a follow-up, revealing that "In fact, Biden at one point said the opposite: 'Anyone who can't afford it gets automatically enrolled in the Medicare-type option we have.'"
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Judge blocks Trump's asylum ban at US border
Speed Read The president violated federal law by shutting down the US-Mexico border to asylum seekers, said the ruling
-
Thai court suspends prime minister over leaked call
Speed Read Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been suspended, pending an ethics investigation
-
Senate passes GOP megabill after Alaska side deal
The pivotal yes vote came from Sen. Lisa Murkowski, whose support was secured following negotiated side deals for her home state Alaska
-
Trump sues LA over immigration policies
Speed Read He is suing over the city's sanctuary law, claiming it prevents local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities
-
Obama, Bush and Bono eulogize USAID on final day
Speed Read The US Agency for International Development, a humanitarian organization, has been gutted by the Trump administration
-
The last words and final moments of 40 presidents
The Explainer Some are eloquent quotes worthy of the holders of the highest office in the nation, and others... aren't
-
Senate advances GOP bill that costs more, cuts more
Speed Read The bill would make giant cuts to Medicaid and food stamps, leaving 11.8 million fewer people with health coverage
-
Canadian man dies in ICE custody
Speed Read A Canadian citizen with permanent US residency died at a federal detention center in Miami