Bernie Sanders

A new analysis also debunks claims that workers on employer-provided insurance plans would be harmed by transition to single payer

Tuesday, October 24, 2017


Excerpts:

As political momentum continues to build around Medicare for All despite fervent opposition from Wall Street executives, centrist Democrats, and television talking heads, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) delivered a speech Tuesday to the American Sustainable Business Council (ASBC) arguing that a single-payer healthcare system would be immensely beneficial not just for workers, but also for American businesses.

During his speech at the ASBC summit, Sanders took on critics' argument that businesses would be harmed by the costs of transitioning to Medicare for All. For the average employer, Sanders argued, the opposite is the case.

"Somehow my Republican friends think the American people just love paying out private insurance premiums that are going up every single year, but if they pay less in taxes than they're paying in private insurance, that would be a terrible thing," Sanders said. "The way we figure it, the vast majority of the people in this country would be saving a good chunk of money paying more in taxes, not paying any private insurance, no deductibles, no co-payments, and the average employer would also be paying less."

On Facebook, the Vermont senator added: "When business leaders and workers, doctors, nurses, and patients stand up and fight back against the greed of the big drug and insurance companies and in support of Medicare for All, we will finally do what we should have accomplished decades ago."

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/10/24/sanders-refutes-myth-medicare-all-would-be-bad-business