Kentucky Consultant Thomas Massie has sparked outrage on Twitter for claiming that Medicare contributed to COVID-19 deaths amongst older individuals.

"Over 70% of Individuals who died with COVID, died on Medicare, and a few individuals need Medicare for All?" the Republican wrote in a Wednesday morning tweet. Massie, who has been vital of masks and vaccine mandates all through the continuing pandemic, has lengthy been an opponent of government-controlled medical health insurance.

He particularly opposes Medicare for All, a proposed plan to interchange private and non-private insurance coverage with a extra beneficiant model of Medicare, the federal government health-insurance program that serves adults ages 65 and above. Medicare for All would broaden this system to cowl all Individuals. Proponents say the plan would cut back healthcare prices and deaths associated to the inaccessibility of healthcare.

Quite a few individuals identified that Massie's tweet mistook correlation for causation.

Thomas Massie COVID-19 Medicare-for-all tweet Twitter
Kentucky Consultant Thomas Massie claimed on Twitter that Medicare contributed to COVID-19 deaths amongst older individuals. On this picture, Massie speaks throughout a press convention within the Cannon Home Workplace Constructing on March 12, 2014, in Washington, D.C.T.J. Kirkpatrick/Getty

Whereas 70 p.c of Individuals who died of COVID-19 might need been on Medicare, their deaths are seemingly as a consequence of the truth that individuals above the age of 65 have underlying circumstances which have made them most inclined to dying of COVID-19. That's, their age and different well being issues seemingly contributed way more to their deaths than their therapy underneath Medicare did.

Because of this, Massie's tweet has been "ratioed," a phrase for when a tweet receives extra feedback than retweets. As of early Wednesday night, Massie's tweet has obtained 2,223 retweets and 5,458 feedback.

Newsweek contacted Massie's workplace for remark.

"As a result of Covid severely impacted the aged and the aged are on Medicare," Democratic Arizona Consultant Ruben Gallegotweeted in response to Massie. "If you happen to paid somebody to provide you with this tweet fireplace them. If you happen to got here up with this tweet it is best to dangle your head in disgrace."

Sports activities author Dave Zirin tweeted, "Individuals who die of coronary heart assaults are inclined to have eaten meals inside 24 hours of dying. AND WE WANT FOOD FOR ALL?!?!?!?!?"

Twitter consumer @DebHyatt11 wrote, "Almost 100% of Individuals who've alcohol use issues drank milk as kids. Milk consuming causes alcoholism. Any person by no means realized that correlation is not causations, however why would a science denier know that? SMH (shaking my head)".

One other Twitter consumer, @NCVates wrote, "You are onto one thing, Rep. Massie. Lots of people die in hospitals, so let's eliminate them, too."

Author and activist Alex Howard, who makes use of the Twitter deal with @digiphile, wrote, "It is potential that an excellent greater proportion of the Individuals who died from most cancers or coronary heart illness in 2020...have been on Medicare, however that additionally has nothing to do with a public choice for medical health insurance."

Dr. Rob Davidson, the chief director of the Committee to Shield Well being Care, tweeted, "Unsure which upsets me extra, that you just may really assume this can be a logical assertion, or that over 7k individuals appreciated this."