US Senator Bernie Sanders, who has announced he is running for president again in the 2020 elections, has said that "thousands of people will literally die" if President Donald Trump can successfully dismantle the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.
"If Trump gets his way, the cost of health insurance ... will be so high that many people literally will not be able to afford it. Thousands of people will literally die. That’s Trump’s health insurance plan," Sanders said during an interview with CBS News on Sunday.
"My plan is just a little bit different. I think we should join the result of the industrialized world, guarantee health care to all people as a right," Sanders added.
Sanders, an Independent senator from Vermont who is seeking the Democratic nomination for president in 2020, said that he plans to introduce his Medicare for All plan "within the next couple of weeks."
"When we do that, what we understand is that it is just not acceptable that 30 million Americans have no health insurance and even more are underinsured with high deductibles and high co-payments," he added.
.@BernieSanders says he will re-introduce his Medicare for All plan in the Senate “in the next couple of weeks.” pic.twitter.com/KjYelxj8Xn
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) March 31, 2019
Trump has taken some initial steps to dismantle Obamacare, but his administration has not yet presented an alternative plan to replace former Democratic President Barack Obama's signature health care law.
He resorted to using presidential powers to dismantle Obamacare after fellow Republicans in Congress had failed to repeal the 2010 law.
Trump has vowed to bring affordable health insurance to millions, but experts have warned that his plan to replace Obamacare would actually leave 22 million more Americans uninsured over 10 years.
Nearly 30 million people are not covered by Obamacare and one reason is its high cost.
Additionally, people are financially sanctioned by the government if they are able to but unwilling to take part in its insurance program.
Last week, Trump said that the GOP will become the "the party of health care."
“The Republican Party will become the party of great health care.” -@realDonaldTrump in MI. pic.twitter.com/lH94clFzkL
— GOP (@GOP) March 29, 2019
“Let me just tell you exactly what my message is: The Republican Party will soon be known as the party of health care. You watch," Trump told reporters during a visit to the Capitol.