Democratic presidential candidate Julián Castro lashed out at Politifact, the independent fact-checker, for criticizing his healthcare debate with former Vice President Joe Biden.
During the third Democratic presidential debates in Houston, Castro pitched different healthcare options to Biden after Castro claimed Biden’s plan failed during the Obama administration and would fail again if he were elected president.
BizPac Review reports Castro spoke with “Meet the Press Daily,” where he said: “In fact, as I understand, one of the things they said was that the fact that people would have to fill out paperwork under Vice President Biden’s plan versus not having to do anything is basically inconsequential, it doesn’t amount to anything,” Castro added yesterday.
And, from the report:
The 2020 contender was debating Biden on healthcare when he made the comment which he claimed had nothing to do with the former vice president’s age but with what he saw as a contradiction of whether uninsured Americans could voluntarily buy in to his proposed public healthcare plan or would be automatically enrolled.
The 2020 rivals clashed over their versions of a “Medicare-for-all” plan and whose would best represent the intention of former President Barack Obama’s health care vision before Castro called out Biden.
“You just said two minutes ago they would have to buy in. Are you forgetting what you said two minutes ago?” he asked and set off a firestorm of criticism.
Several people in the audience cheered Castro’s remark.
Here’s more, via BizPac Review:
“I don’t know who they hire at PolitiFact but it’s obviously not somebody that has dealt with a working family or the realities of why people fall off insurance or other things where there’s an onerous process. I do take issue with that,” Castro told Todd on Friday.
“Do you think there’s a big difference between his paperwork and your paperwork?” the MSNBC host asked, contending that out the opt-in versus opt-out contrast was a “petty difference.”
“That’s a big difference,” Castro replied.
“Right now there are over 27 million people who are uncovered,” he went on. “There would still be 10 million people uncovered under Vice President Biden’s plan.”