Trump's Australian Healthcare System Comment Earns Rebuke From Bernie Sanders

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and President Donald Trump may differ on almost everything under the sun, but it looks like they have found common ground – their appreciation for the Australian healthcare system.

President Trump met Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull Thursday soon after the House of Representatives passed a controversial Republican bill to overhaul the health care system in the U.S. and praised Australia for having a better system in place.

“It could get maybe even better,” Trump said as he discussed the bill sitting next to the Australian PM in New York City. “It’s a very good bill right now. The premiums are gonna come down very substantially.”

Read: Bernie Sanders Says Trump’s Tax Plan Makes Rigged System Worse

“The deductibles are going to come down. It’s going to be fantastic health care,” he added, according to CNBC. “Right now Obamacare is failing. We have a failing health care – I shouldn’t say this to our great gentleman, my friend from Australia cause you have better health care than we do.”

The Australian model of healthcare boasts of both private and public markets working together in tandem. The publicly funded universal healthcare system in the country is complemented by the private sector.

During an interview with MSNBC’s Chris Hayes later in the day, Sanders was shown the clip where Trump made his comments. The Vermont senator laughed as he replied to Trump on the U.S.’ failing healthcare.

“That’s great,” Sanders said. “Let’s take a look at the Australian healthcare system. Maybe he wants to take a look at the Canadian healthcare system or systems throughout Europe.”

“Thank you, Mr. President,” he added. “Let us move to a Medicare-for-all system that does what every other major country on earth does – guarantee healthcare to all people at a fraction of the cost per-capita that we spend.”

“Thank you, Mr. President,” Sanders said. “We’ll quote you on the floor of the Senate.”

Even though the Republican bill has been passed by the House, it faces an uphill task with the Senate as Democrats and some Republicans are not entirely convinced of its merits.

Liberal senators like Elizabeth Warren blasted the bill for being even worse than the original bill that failed in March and added it would “devastate Americans' healthcare.”

“Trumpcare isn’t a health care bill. A bill that destroys health care for millions to shovel cash to the rich isn’t a health care bill. #AHCA” Warren tweeted late Thursday.

“This isn’t football. It’s not about scoring points. #AHCA will devastate Americans’ healthcare. Families will go bankrupt. People will die,” she warned in another tweet.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi also blasted the Republicans for passing the new bill as she said, “When you know the facts and you care about people, you can't possibly vote for the bill that they voted for today. So... either they don't know, they don't care or both.”

On Twitter, Sanders also referred to the Republican bill as a “disaster” as he outlined the way forward. He wrote, “Our job now is to rally millions of Americans against this disastrous Republican bill to make sure that it does not pass the Senate.”