Republicans need to take note of growing public support for Medicare for all – an issue being touted by some Democratic presidential contenders – and “treat this as an opportunity,” GOP consultant Karl Rove said Thursday.
In an interview on Fox News’ “The Daily Briefing with Dana Perino,” Rove said Medicare for all would be disastrous for senior citizens – and Republicans need to drive home that point.
“Republicans ought to treat this as an opportunity because it is,” he said. “Medicare for all sounds good, about 53% support it when you toss that name out. But it's not Medicare for all. It abolishes Medicare. It abolishes private health insurance coverage…. You only have one option. The government will tell you what kind of healthcare you can get, when you can go see a doctor and when you can get a procedure.”
Rove said the 19 million seniors who have a Medicare Advantage policy will be particularly hard-hit. “It’s gone,”under Medicare for all, he asserted.
“If you're on Medicare, you paid into that all your life,” he said. “Now suddenly the benefit's in and you're tossed into the same program with a bunch of people who have not paid into the system, who are younger than you are and it goes away.
“You'll get the same things that we see in Canada, the U.K. with a government run socialized medicine system,” he continued. “You're going to see rationing, long waits and people being denied medicines that they need, that they now today have covered by either their private insurance or Medicare Advantage or Medicare Part D insurance program.”
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.