ABC's Jon Karl says Julián Castro was 'just flatly wrong' in his attack on Joe Biden's memory

(Image credit: Screenshots/YouTube, Twitter/ABC News)

published 13 September 2019

In his big health care exchange with former Vice President Joe Biden during Thursday night's Democratic presidential debate, Julián Castro cited the fact-checkers to make his case that Biden's plan would leave millions of Americans uninsured. But when Biden said Castro was wrong that, under his plan, you would have to "buy in" to Medicare, Castro suggested Biden was losing his memory.

As they say, live by the fact-check, die by the fact-check.

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Castro did have a point, however — Biden did say the words "buy in," ABC News notes. But it was an "automatic" buy-in, whatever that means. Biden said: "The option I'm proposing is Medicare for all, Medicare for choice. If you want Medicare, if you lose the job from your insurance company, from your employer, you automatically can buy into this." Afterward, though, he said, "Anyone who can't afford it gets automatically enrolled in the Medicare-type option we have." You can watch the full exchange below. Peter Weber

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.

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