Bernie Sanders: Medicare for all's time has come
By Bernie Sanders
Updated 8:04 AM ET, Thu August 16, 2018
Excerpts:
(CNN)Let's be clear. The American people are increasingly tired of a health care system that works for Wall Street investors, insurance companies and the pharmaceutical industry -- but ignores their needs. They want real change, and poll after poll shows that they want to move toward a Medicare-for-all, single-payer system. And for good reason.
Today, the United States has the most expensive, inefficient, and bureaucratic health care system in the world. Despite the fact that we are the only major country on earth not to guarantee health care for all -- and have 30 million uninsured and even more who are underinsured -- we now spend more than twice as much per capita on health care as the average developed country.
The ongoing failure of our health care system is directly attributable to the fact that -- unique among major nations -- it is primarily designed not to provide quality care to all in a cost-effective way. Instead, the system makes maximum profits for health insurance companies, the pharmaceutical industry and medical equipment suppliers.
The Medicare-for-all legislation that I wrote, which now has 16 co-sponsors in the Senate, would provide comprehensive health care to every man, woman and child in our country -- without out-of-pocket expenses. No more insurance premiums, deductibles or co-payments. Further, it would expand Medicare coverage to include dental and vision care. In other words, this plan would do exactly what should be done in a civilized and democratic society. It would allow all Americans, regardless of their income, to get the health care they need when they need it.
https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/16/opinions/medicare-for-all-now-bernie-sanders/index.html