Rick Scott says Medicare for all will "ruin health care system"
Republican Sen. Rick of Scott, one of the Republican senators President Trump has tasked with devising a replacement for the Affordable Care Act, denounced the "Medicare for all" proposal, warning that the progressive plan endorsed by several 2020 Democratic White House hopefuls would "ruin" the health care system in the U.S.
"We do know that Medicare for all, which Senator Sanders is all in on, is going to just ruin our health care system," Scott said on "Face the Nation" Sunday.
"It's going to ruin Medicare," he added. "And it's also going to ruin private insurance."
The Florida Republican, a freshman senator who once led one of the largest for-profit private health care companies in the U.S., said the cost of health care and prescription drugs is too high. His comments echoed remarks made by his Senate colleague and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, Bernie Sanders, earlier on "Face the Nation."
The Affordable Care Act is facing one of its biggest legal challenges after the Justice Department asked a federal appeals court to invalidate President Obama's signature domestic achievement. Asked if he will make sure any Republican health care plan to replace the ACA will not prompt people to lose their coverage, Scott demurred and said he's focused on driving down the cost of health care.
Scott, who represents a state with one the highest Affordable Care Act enrollments, said it was important to ensure people with pre-existing conditions, currently covered by the Obama-era law, can "get a health care plan."
Scott then pivoted and again derided the "Medicare for all" proposal.
"This idea of the government taking over health care and running all of health care has never worked," Scott said. "It's not going to work."
Richard Escobedo contributed to this report.
