WATCH: Ron DeSantis Called to Privatize Social Security and Medicare in 2012 Interview With Florida Newspaper
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) supported the idea of privatizing medicare and social security, a new report highlighted amidst a heated debate on the issue between Democrats and Republicans.
At President Joe Biden’s recent State of the Union address, he accused Republicans of seeking to cut medicare and social security funds, something that inspired heckling from Republicans like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA). A number of right-wing politicians, including former President Donald Trump, have vowed they would not dismantle medicare or social security.
The two programs, however, have long been targets of criticism from conservatives and a new report highlights DeSantis being one such conservative who supported doing away with a full government system for the programs.
“I think people who are low income will probably be given coverage that is similar to what they have now. I think people like me, who’ve been more successful, it’s not even that I will have to pay more. I will have premium support that’s going to guarantee me a certain amount of coverage,” the Republican said in 2012 to St. Augustine Record, according to a CNN K File report detailing the governor’s past stance on the issue.
Medicare, the Republican argued, should mainly be driven by a private market, rather than tax dollars.
“If you want something over and above that, if you want a Cadillac plan or something, then I do think it should be driven by the consumer rather than imposed on the taxpayers,” he said, according to the report from and
At the time, DeSantis was tied to a number of groups involved in the conservative Tea Party movement. During his campaign in 2012, DeSantis embraced a plan from Republican Paul Ryan to privatize social security and medicare.
“I would embrace proposals like Paul Ryan offered, and other people have offered, that are going to provide some market forces in there, more consumer choice, and make it so that it’s not just basically a system that’s just going to be bankrupt when you have new people coming into it,” he said.
Watch above via CNN.
