Sanders: ‘Trump is right’ on Australian healthcare system

by Rebecca Savransky - 05/06/17 2:09 PM ET

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said Saturday that President Trump “is right” to praise Australia’s healthcare system compared to the United States.

“President Trump is right,” Sanders tweeted. “The Australian health care system provides health care to all of its people at a fraction of the cost than we do.”

President Trump is right. The Australian health care system provides health care to all of its people at a fraction of the cost than we do. pic.twitter.com/CCrZlEyjQh

— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) May 6, 2017

The Vermont senator shared a video along with the tweet, which begins with a clip of Sanders suggesting that when the healthcare bill gets to the Senate, “We should start off with looking at the Australian health care system.”

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The video then shows a clip of Trump from Thursday saying that Australia has a better healthcare system than the U.S.

Trump made the comments during a meeting with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. The White House said Friday that Trump was merely “complimenting” the Australian leader, but Trump defended his comment in a tweet later Friday, asserting that “everybody” has better healthcare than the U.S.

“And President Trump is right,” read text in Sanders’ video. “In Australia, everyone is guaranteed healthcare as a right, not a privilege.”

In the video, the Independent senator touted the Australian healthcare system over the healthcare system in the U.S.

Australia’s system consists of both a private market and a government-run option. Conservatives in the U.S. have long pushed back against moving to a universal healthcare system.

“While the U.S. has the most expensive & ineffective healthcare system in the world, Australia ranks 6 out of 55 in efficiency,” read text in the video.

At the end of the video, Sanders was seen saying: “Well, Mr. President, you’re right.”

Sanders previously seized on the president’s compliments of Australia’s universal healthcare system, saying Democrats will remind the president of the comments from the Senate floor.

The House this week narrowly passed legislation aimed at repealing and replacing ObamaCare, sending the bill to the Senate.

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