How Abdul El-Sayed Lies About His Health-Care Plan

Medicare for All has a problem. The slogan polls well, but most people don’t realize it eliminates private health insurance (not to mention, in its leading legislative incarnation, eliminating Medicare Advantage plans). And most people would prefer to stay with their existing insurance rather than join the progressives’ new federal program. The left doesn’t want to give them that option. Abdul El-Sayed’s solution to this political problem: Lie about this feature of his plan.

El-Sayed, the Democratic candidate for Senate in the Michigan race, was asked during a debate last week whether “families could keep their private health care” under his Medicare for All plan. His answer: “Yes, absolutely. . . . If families want to keep their private health insurance, that’s fine by me.”

About the Author

Ramesh Ponnuru

Ramesh Ponnuru is the editor of National Review, a columnist for the Washington Post, and a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.

Featured Tags

Manage following

Abdul El-Sayed

Medicare for All has a problem. The slogan polls well, but most people don’t realize it eliminates private health insurance (not to mention, in its leading legislative incarnation, eliminating Medicare Advantage plans). And most people would prefer to stay with their existing insurance rather than join the progressives’ new federal program. The left doesn’t want to give them that option. Abdul El-Sayed’s solution to this political problem: Lie about this feature of his plan.

El-Sayed, the Democratic candidate for Senate in the Michigan race, was asked during a debate last week whether “families could keep their private health care” under his Medicare for All plan. His answer: “Yes, absolutely. . . . If families want to keep their private health insurance, that’s fine by me.”