Former President Jimmy Carter (D) predicted that the U.S. will eventually switch over to a universal single-payer healthcare system, the Wall Street Journal reported Sunday.
Carter, 92, made the remarks ahead of teaching his Sunday school class in Plains, Ga.
“When I was in the White House, I tried to get Medicare to cover everyone,” he said.
{mosads}Carter’s speech comes as Republicans are struggling in their attempt to repeal and replace ObamaCare in the Senate. A procedural vote on their bill is expected on Tuesday.
Single-payer healthcare programs have been gaining traction among members of the Democratic party, with Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), two potential 2020 presidential candidates, both backing the Medicare-for-all program.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) also centered his 2016 presidential bid around universal healthcare, calling for a system that “makes healthcare a right, not a privilege.”
Carter was recently treated for dehydration after he was sent to the hospital while building houses for Habitat For Humanity. He was released the next day and continued his construction work that morning.