Bernie Sanders's Bold Health Plan Puts Democrats in a Bind
Don’t be surprised if some of the co-sponsors of his sweeping Medicare-for-All proposal soon turn into critics.
Photo-ops today, but what about tomorrow?
Photographer: Anna Moneymaker/BloombergVermont Senator Bernie Sanders’s Medicare-for-All plan was already bold. It just got even bolder.
Sanders, an early front-runner for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, had initially called for phasing out America’s employer-based insurance system in favor of universal government coverage that’s free for patients (that is, outside of the higher taxes they’d pay to finance it). On Wednesday, he released a more ambitious version that includes coverage for long-term care. It addresses a significant gap in the current system and source of financial hardship for many – but also adds to an already high price tag.