Most of the Democratic presidential debate participants stated their commitment to “Medicare-for-All”. But what does that mean? Well, they tell us they want to transition the U.S. health care insurance industry to a government-run model. The result would be the federal government in control health care within a decade.
Medicare for All means…
That means the government would seize control of about another 20% of the economy. More importantly, it would also cede to the government, the right to life and right to die. The rule is: He who pays for the healthcare decides who gets it, how much and when. Have you heard much discussion of the point?
Single-payer health care systems are plagued with problems. They should be an unattractive option for citizens, voters, and lawmakers. The reasons they should be unattractive include rationing, service shortages, and bureaucratic inefficiencies. These joys are prevalent in all countries where socialized medicine is in place.
But perhaps the question most important reason is: How will the single payer plan be paid for? We are going to elect Santa President and the Easter Bunny will be VP. Yes, they are famous for bringing free treats. But really, think about it. How will the government takeover of health care be paid for? Soaking the rich isn’t going to cover the tab. The government is going to have to pay for nearly all health care services, reproductive care, and drugs.
They lied to you and screwed it up the first…
The same people who brought you Obamacare now want to bring you Medicare for all. From Bernie Sanders and Cory Booker to Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren they claim it won’t cost you anything. They have repeatedly and adamantly denied single-payer plans will raise health care costs. They have promised it will save middle-income earners thousands of dollars. Doesn’t that sound a lot like Obamacare?
They lied to you about Obamacare, are lying to you about Medicare for All. They spent half of their debate time trashing Obamacare. And… it is their plan. They screwed it up the first time and now they want you to let them do it again. How stupid do they think you are?
Cost
The costs of single-payer health care show American families would pay a lot more for health care. Plans like the Sanders model and endorsed or slightly modified by the other leading presidential candidates all cost a bundle. Let’s look at the first year of full implementation under the Sanders plan according to Freedom Works:
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Assuming each filer be would required to cover roughly the same proportion of the costs for “Medicare-for-All” as they paid for total federal income tax revenues prior to the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
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Assuming total cost for the first 10 years is roughly $32 trillion to $38 trillion
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Then 40 million to 60 million households would end up paying more in new taxes than they would receive in health care benefits.
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Millions of these households would lose more than $10,000 annually.
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That’s even if it is assumed they would otherwise need to pay a full health insurance deductible and some out-of-pocket expenses under a private health insurance model.
Tax impact on the average American
Look this boondoggle is going to require doubling taxes collected. However it is done, taxes have to double. Contrary to the claims made by the leading Democratic candidates, millions of average Americans would be hit particularly hard under “Medicare-for-All”. According to Freedom Works.
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Filers earning $50,000 to $75,000 would likely need to pay on average $7,773 to $9,171 more in new taxes.
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Those families earning $75,000 to $100,000 would pay $12,612 to $14,880 more.
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Households with more than $100,000 income would pay close to or more than $20,000 in additional taxes.
In many cases, these costs far outweigh the projected average employee contribution for employer-provided health insurance of about $1,965 for individuals and $6,752 for families.
The targeting will not accomplish the stated goals and is unfair
Some proposals would offset these costs by imposing wealth taxes and additional business taxes. However these gimmicks would have a relatively small effect on the tax burden imposed on individuals and families. The wealthy and businesses simply do not have enough money to cover the massive costs of single-payer health care. Again according to Freedom Works.
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Even if the federal government were to confiscate every penny belonging to every single one of the richest 400 Americans it would only amount to less than $3 trillion.
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That is less than 10% of the cost of single-payer health care in the first 10 years alone, even under the most optimistic scenarios.
Conclusion:
“Medicare-for-All” would create significant problems for the health care industry. It would also financially decimate millions of average American households. Many of us already have access to health insurance plans we like.
Why are Democrats supporting such disastrous policy? They are primarily concerned with increasing the power of the D.C. elites. Providing the average American people with quality affordable health care is something they do not care about. They want your money and control of you. It is time to wake up and smell the coffee. Don’t take this free kitten home.