Midterms: GOP Senate Candidates Silent on Democrats’ Hostility to Medicare Advantage

In three competitive Senate races — the ones in Maine, Michigan, and Minnesota — Republicans are throwing away an opportunity.

In each of those races, the Democrats are running a candidate who is hostile to Medicare Advantage, which lets senior citizens choose a private company to deliver their Medicare benefits. The Democratic candidate in Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed, co-authored a book on Medicare for All that says that people on Medicare Advantage will have to “transition” to the new government-run insurance system, with no opt-outs allowed. In Maine, Troy Jackson promises that if elected, he would support and cosponsor the Bernie Sanders Medicare for All bill, which abolishes Medicare Advantage as an option. Peggy Flanagan, running in Minnesota, says she “cannot wait to go to the United States Senate and join Bernie Sanders to pass Medicare for all.”

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.

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In three competitive Senate races — the ones in Maine, Michigan, and Minnesota — Republicans are throwing away an opportunity.

In each of those races, the Democrats are running a candidate who is hostile to Medicare Advantage, which lets senior citizens choose a private company to deliver their Medicare benefits. The Democratic candidate in Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed, co-authored a book on Medicare for All that says that people on Medicare Advantage will have to “transition” to the new government-run insurance system, with no opt-outs allowed. In Maine, Troy Jackson promises that if elected, he would support and cosponsor the Bernie Sanders Medicare for All bill, which abolishes Medicare Advantage as an option. Peggy Flanagan, running in Minnesota, says she “cannot wait to go to the United States Senate and join Bernie Sanders to pass Medicare for all.”