Mayor Pete Buttigieg praised Obamacare on Tuesday for helping his mother-in-law but argued that more should be changed in the system.
Buttigieg said his healthcare plan would continue to offer individuals the chance to get private insurance, even through Obamacare health exchanges, but would still allow all Americans to switch to a public option.
He defended Obamacare during the Democrat primary debate but said his mother-in-law would still face corporate inhumanity.
“I think it’s the right answer for people like my mother-in-law whose life was saved by the ACA, but who is still far too vulnerable by the fact that the insurance industry does not care about her,” he said, referring to the mother of his husband Chasten Buttigigeg.
Chasten’s parents Terry and Sherri Glezman raised their sons in Michigan, the same state as the Democrat debate. Both of Chasten Buttigieg’s parents were expected to attend the debate in Detroit, a four-hour drive from their home in Traverse City.
Buttigieg said it was “time to stop caring what Republicans say” about their healthcare plans, noting that they would describe Democrats as a “bunch of crazy socialists” no matter what they proposed.
He argued that his plan was the “right thing to do” for Americans, arguing that the people could put both health care options to the test.