Hillary Clinton referred to Obamacare's rapidly rising premiums and higher health care costs for Americans as "glitches" on Saturday night during ABC's Democratic debate, and she doubled down on the term when called out by ABC moderator Martha Raddatz.
Raddatz began the line of questioning by pointing out Americans who already had insurance have seen a 27 percent rise in insurance costs the past five years due to Obamacare, with deductibles up 67 percent and health care costs "rising faster than many Americans can manage."
"What's broken in Obamacare that needs to be fixed right now, and what would you do to fix it?" Raddatz asked.
"Well, I would certainly build on the successes of the Affordable Care Act and work to fix some of the glitches you just referenced," Clinton said.
Clinton then rattled off Obamacare's supposed assets, but she said out-of-pocket costs and prescription drug costs were too high. Strangely, despite being an Obamacare proponent, Clinton also complained about a lack of competition in the insurance marketplace.
"I want us to be absolutely clear about making sure the insurance companies in the private employer policy arena, as well as in the Affordable Care exchanges, are properly regulated so that we are not being gamed, and I think that's an important point to make, because I'm going through and analyzing the points you are making, Martha," Clinton said. "We don't have enough competition, and we don't have enough oversight of what the insurance companies are charging everybody right now."
"But you did say those were glitches," Raddatz said. "Just glitches? 27 percent in the past five years, deductibles up 67 percent?"
"Well, they're glitches because--it is, because part of this is the start-up challenges that this system is facing," Clinton said. "We have fought as Democrats for decades to get a health care plan. I know. I've got the scars to show from the effort back in the early '90s. We want to build on it and fix it, and I am confident we can do that."