Bernie Sanders Just made a promise I believe he will absolutely keep. He has promised to raise taxes on everyone in order to pay for his Medicare for All plan. But, cheer up. He says it will be worth it, just like Obamacare was supposed to be.
Remember when Obamacare began? So many doctors dropped out of the program, patients in San Francisco would sometimes have to travel over 100 miles to find a doctor that would accept them. The premiums were high as were the deductibles and the copay’s.
Then he will have to come back to the well for his free college tuition and climate change legislation.
Say goodbye to work-based insurance, Obamacare, Medicare (for senior citizens only) and Medicaid.
Instead of buying policies from private companies, Americans would obtain coverage from a state-run health care system. A national standards board would establish basic benefits and funding guidelines, but states would have the flexibility to design their own programs.
Coverage would be generous. Not only would it include hospital stays and doctors’ visits, but the insurance would pay for home health and adult day care, prescription drugs, dental visits, mental health services and outpatient therapy.
No one could be turned away for pre-existing conditions. Also, doctors couldn’t charge patients more than the rates set by the state system.
Deductibles, co-pays and other out-of-pocket expenses would also be eliminated, according to a press release issued by the Sanders campaign in November. These expenses have been a growing source of financial strain for Americans as employers and insurers shift more of the cost to policyholders. The average deductible, for example, is now $2,012 for a family, according to the Kaiser/HRET study.
Instead, Sanders’ 2013 proposal calls for two new taxes: a payroll tax on employers of 6.7% and a progressive income tax.
Unlike Social Security levies, the health care payroll tax would be paid on all wages or self-employment income.