Warren comes under fire from 2020 Democratic rivals over 'Medicare for All'

"I have made clear what my principles are here," Warren said during the CNN/New York Times Democratic presidential debate in Westerville, Ohio, when asked about how she would pay for the program. "Costs will go up for the wealthy and big corporations."

But when the Massachusetts senator kept to that argument despite being pressed, her rivals pounced.

South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg swooped in first, accusing Warren of dodging the issue. The moderators asked "a yes or no question," he said. "That didn't get a yes or no answer."

"This is why people here in the Midwest are so frustrated with Washington in general and Capitol Hill in particular," Buttigieg said before turning again to Warren: "Your signature, senator, is to have a plan for everything. Except this."

Buttigieg then pitched his "Medicare for All Who Want It" plan, which would create a buy-in to government-run health care. Warren turned Buttigieg's phrase on its head, saying that what people really heard when he brought it up was, "Medicare for All who can afford it."

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders stepped in after Buttigieg began to dig in to a broader attack on Medicare for All.

"As somebody who wrote the damn bill, let's be clear: Under the Medicare for All bill I wrote, premiums are gone, copayments are gone, deductibles are gone. All out of expenses are gone," Sanders said, before pointedly adding, "But I do think it is appropriate to acknowledge that taxes will go up" mostly for the wealthy, but also for middle class Americans.

Sanders, as he's done on the trail, argued that Medicare for All would -- despite those tax hikes -- mean that most Americans would be paying significantly less overall.

Still, the pile-on continued.

Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who supports a public option, turned the attention directly back to Warren.

"I'm sorry, Elizabeth," Klobuchar said to Warren before accusing her of "making Republican talking points in this room" by supporting the move to Medicare for All.

"I appreciate Elizabeth's work," Klobuchar said after Warren spoke about her research into why families go broke. "But again, the difference between a plan and a pipe dream is something you can actually get done."

Let's block ads! (Why?)