Former Vice President Joe Biden spoke about the importance of community healthcare in his visit to Grand Rapids Monday.
With support from Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Biden says helping former President Barack Obama establish the Affordable Care Act was one of his crowning achievements as Vice President.
“I was proud, very proud to work with President Obama to get Obamacare done in the first place, and I’m going to stand firm against anyone who tries to tear down the progress and start all over again,” Biden said.
That includes Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont. Biden says Sanders’ Medicare for All plan would delay people getting the healthcare they need because it will have difficulty getting passed through Congress.
Biden has proposed restoring the Affordable Care Act – or Obamacare – to what it was when it first passed. And adding a public Medicare-like option for people who are currently uninsured.
“They can’t afford to wait for a revolution. They’re looking for results for their families and themselves today, immediately, not tomorrow,” he said.
Biden, who did not take any questions after he spoke, currently leads all Democratic candidates in delegates and has about 90 more delegates than Sanders. But Tuesday’s primary election in Michigan could change things.
Both Biden and Sanders have made an effort to show themselves in Michigan, which is considered a battleground state for the 2020 general election. But there is a key difference, Sanders has shown his face much more across the state.
Over the weekend, Sanders made trips to Detroit, Dearborn, Flint, Grand Rapids, and Ann Arbor.
Biden had Amy Klobuchar as his surrogate in Grand Rapids over the weekend, but aside from that, he just had his event with only media and public officials present in Grand Rapids and another campaign event in Detroit. Despite that, Biden still leads in the polls.
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