‘Duck Dynasty’ star says God is his health care provider, slams Medicare for all

Feb. 06--Phil Robertson, the 72-year-old patriarch of reality TV's "Duck Dynasty" family, slammed the idea of universal health care on Tuesday, saying his health care comes from God.

The topic came up during an interview with Neil Cavuto of Fox Business, which posted the interview on its website. A clip has also been shared by several political and entertainment websites.

He told Cavuto that "America has lost touch with God and his simple values. Instead, socialist rhetoric, including 'Medicare for All' is being touted by liberal 2020 candidates," Fox Business reported.

"We have been given -- contrary to what Kamala Harris said -- she says, 'Elect me and everything's free!' " Robertson told Cavuto during the interview, referring to the Democratic U.S. senator from California who is running for president in 2020.

Robertson's family shot to fame in 2012 when they starred in A&E's "Duck Dynasty."

"The exposure helped the Louisiana family become even wealthier by promoting their Duck Commanders, which makes fake duck signals used during hunting season," writes Fox Business.

In 2013, Forbes reported the family sold $400 million worth of merchandise, noting the "biggest player in Duck Dynasty's brand bonanza is unsurprisingly Walmart," Forbes wrote.

In 2016 when A&E announced it was wrapping up the show, Entertainment Weekly noted how much the series "had been a controversy magnet ... On camera, it was all duck calls and beards; off camera, there have been many stir-ups in the media due to Duck patriarch Phil Robertson."

A&E decided to suspend the family elder -- then reversed that decision -- after he "called homosexuality a sin" in a 2013 GQ interview, "likening it to bestiality, and (saying) that black people were happy in pre-civil-rights-era Louisiana," EW wrote.

Robertson has long been outspoken about his Christian faith. In 2017 he started a new show, "In the Woods With Phil," on CRTV, a digital network that hosts shows by conservative commentators, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Cavuto told Robertson that Harris is saying that rich people who have been "getting away with financial murder" will pay for universal health coverage.

"What I'm saying, Kamala, I already have health care," Robertson said. "It's given to me by God, eternal health care. I'm guaranteed to be raised from the dead. I have life and immortality given to me by God through Jesus Christ."

"But people get sick on earth in their human form. Would you advise ..." Cavuto replied.

"The temporary reprieve is not worth it," Robertson said. "I'm telling her, I have eternal health care and it's free. Doctors can give you a temporary reprieve, but they cannot save you from physical death. The doctors who treat you, they die too."

"But you're not dismissing that people need health care, right?" Cavuto said.

"I didn't have health care for 50 years and someone says now I'm rich and famous, so I said Miss K you can buy every kind of insurance known to man if you want to but I've never needed it for 50 years, so there ya go."

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