Democrat John Delaney: If We Run on Eliminating Private Insurance, We Lose 2020 Election

Former Rep. John Delaney (D-MD) said Wednesday if Democrats run for eliminating private health insurance, they will lose the 2020 presidential election.

Former Congressman Delaney criticized many other Democrat presidential candidates’ calls to pass Medicare for All, which would eliminate private health insurance and replace it with a single-payer government healthcare system.

MSNBC’s Chris Matthews asked Delaney, “Medicare for All, what does that mean exactly?”

“Well, it’s a great slogan, but what it actually means is making private insurance illegal,” the moderate Maryland Democrat said.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio both admitted they would abolish private health insurance during the 2020 presidential Democrat debate.

Mayor Bill de Blasio attacked former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) Wednesday night during the Democrat debate for his stance against Medicare for All. Mayor de Blasio asked O’Rourke why he was defending private health insurance.

Delaney continued, suggesting that Medicare for All could endanger seniors’ private health insurance, namely Medicare Advantage.

“And you know, speaking of Medicare, 50 percent of our seniors have something called Medicare Advantage. You know what that is? It’s private insurance,” Delaney explained. “Last year, 70 percent of newly minted seniors chose Medicare Advantage, and we’re going to run as a party to make that illegal. Think about that for a second.”

Matthews noted that in the first Democrat debate that the payments hospitals would allegedly receive under Medicare for All would bankrupt most every hospital across the nation.

“Every single hospital in this country would close. Every single one of them,” Delaney said.