CNN host Van Jones told viewers that he didn’t believe in the idea of health insurance during an interview with Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington State during Saturday’s taping of “The Van Jones Show.”
“At a philosophical level. I don’t even think we should have insurance for health, period,” Jones told Jayapal.
So thankful to @VanJones68 for having me on to discuss my #MedicareForAll bill.
This is the health care conversation everyone needs to watch: pic.twitter.com/LtJ3bpsxpy
— Rep. Pramila Jayapal (@RepJayapal) November 4, 2019
Jones said that insurance should be for events that people are unsure of, like housefires, while everyone will see a doctor, and for that, he doesn’t want insurance; he’d rather have healthcare. (RELATED: ‘Democrats Are In A Lose-Lose Situation’: Van Jones Doubts Impeachment Efforts)
Jayapal, who is Co-Chair of the Democratic Progressive Caucus in Congress, appeared on Jones’s show to talk about the Medicare for All bill that she wrote.
While on the show, Jayapal claimed that her plan would not only bring down the costs of medical expenses, but also that there would be no differences in quality between poor or rich Americans, citing the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services or CMS.
Jones did push back against the progressive Democrat by saying that he agreed with the healthcare plan put forward by Mayor Pete Buttigieg.
Buttigieg’s healthcare plan proposes a “Public Option,” which would preserve the private healthcare industry, while also creating a government-funded healthcare alternative, according to Politico.
According to Jones, both he and Jayapal had fought for a “public option” previously.
Jayapal responded, saying, “I will say that before the public option, I fought for a single-payer plan. That’s what I was really fighting for, the public option was my fallback.” (RELATED: Leaked Video Shows Elizabeth Warren Vacillating On Medicare For All)
While Jayapal claims Medicare for All would save the nation money in the long term, others such as Adriana Belmonte, Associate Editor for Yahoo Finance report that Medicare for All “would cost a fortune.”