Democractic debate: Biden says 'Medicare for All' will not solve coronavirus problem at all

Former vice president Joe Biden locked horns with Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders in the 11th Democratic debate in Washington DC on Sunday, March 15 and the topic that dominated the occasion was coronavirus. Sanders was more vocal about a healthcare plan covering the common people and taking up the responsibility of paying their bills to allay their fears about falling sick. 

As Sanders found an opportunity to talk about his favorite ‘Medicare for All’ plan at the debate while stressing on anti-coronavirus plan, Biden refused to buy saying the plan will not succeed in solving the ongoing health crisis which has claimed nearly 6,000 lives worldwide and 68 in the US. 

“With all due respect to Medicare for All, you have a single-payer system in Italy. It doesn't work there. It has nothing to do with Medicare for All. That would not solve the problem at all,” he said.

Italy is the worst-hit country in Europe and the second worst-hit after China with its death toll rising by the minute over the past few days. The country has been put under complete lockdown to arrest the virus’ spread but there has been not much relief. Experts have warned that the US could also face a similar situation in the coming days, as they blame President Donald Trump’s less-than-satisfactory response to the pandemic for it. 

Sanders said experts feel one of the reasons the US has been found unprepared to handle the coronavirus crisis is that it doesn’t have a system. 

“We’ve got thousands of private insurance plans. That is not a system that is prepared to provide health care to all people. In a good year, without the epidemic, we're losing up to 60,000 people who die every year because they don't get to a doctor on time,” the 78-year-old said. He said the coronavirus is only making a bad situation worse. 
 
Under Sanders’ ‘Medicare for All’ plan, the people of the US would be enrolled in a national health insurance program, also called a "single-payer" program, run by the federal government.