Bernie Sanders' "Medicare For All" Plan

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L E AV I N G N O O N E B E H I N D.
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Medicare for All

Leaving No One Behind
www.berniesanders.com
Medicare for All: Leaving No One Behind

It has been the goal of Democrats since Franklin D. Roosevelt to create a universal
health care system guaranteeing health care to all people. Every other major
industrialized nation has done so. It is time for this country to join them and fulfill
the legacy of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Lyndon B. Johnson and other
great Democrats.
The Affordable Care Act was a critically important step towards the goal of universal
health care. Thanks to the ACA, more than 17 million Americans have gained health
insurance. Millions of low-income Americans have coverage through expanded
eligibility for Medicaid that now exists in 31 states. Young adults can stay on their
parents health plans until theyre 26. All Americans can benefit from increased
protections against lifetime coverage limits and exclusion from coverage because of
pre-existing conditions. Bernie was on the U.S. Senate committee that helped write
the ACA.
But as we move forward, we must build upon the success of the ACA to achieve the
goal of universal health care. Twenty-nine million Americans today still do not have
health insurance and millions more are underinsured and cannot afford the high
copayments and deductibles charged by private health insurance companies that
put profits before people.
The U.S. spends more on health care per person, and as a percentage of gross
domestic product, than any other advanced nation in the world, including Australia,
Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Japan, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
But all that money has not made Americans healthier than the rest of the world.
Quite simply, in our high-priced health care system that leaves millions overlooked,
we spend more yet end up with less.
Other industrialized nations are making the morally principled and financially
responsible decision to provide universal health care to all of their peopleand they
do so while saving money by keeping people healthier. Those who say this goal is
unachievable are selling the American people short.
Americans need a health care system that works for patients and providers. We
need to focus our federal investments on training the health care providers. We
need to ensure a strong health care workforce in all communities now and in the
future. We need to build on the strength of the 50 years of success of the Medicare
program. We need a health care system that significantly reduces overhead,
administrative costs and complexity. We need a system where all people can get the
care they need to maintain and improve their health when they need it regardless of
income, age or socioeconomic status. We need a system that works not just for
millionaires and billionaires, but for all of us.
Under Bernies plan, Americans will benefit from the freedom and security that
comes with finally separating health insurance from employment. That freedom
would not only help the American people live happier, healthier and more fulfilling
lives, but it would also promote innovation and entrepreneurship in every sector of
the economy. People would be able to start new businesses, stay home with their
children or leave jobs they dont like knowing that they would still have health care
coverage for themselves and their families. Employers could be free to focus on
running their business rather than spending countless hours figuring out how to
provide health insurance to their employees. Working Americans wouldnt have to
choose between bargaining for higher wages or better health insurance. Parents
wouldnt have to worry about how to provide health insurance to their children.
Americans would no longer have to fear losing their health insurance if they lose
their job, change employment or go part-time. Seniors and people with serious or
chronic illnesses could afford the medications necessary to keep them healthy
without worry of financial ruin. Millions of people will no longer have to choose
between health care and other necessities like food, heat and shelter, and will have
access to services that may have been out of reach, like dental care or long-term
care.
Simply put, Bernies plan will provide all Americans with the sense of freedom and
peace of mind that comes from knowing you always have access to the health care
you need.
The Plan
BETTER COVERAGE
Bernies plan would create a federally administered single-payer health care
program. Universal single-payer health care means comprehensive coverage for all
Americans. Bernies plan will cover the entire continuum of health care, from
inpatient to outpatient care; preventive to emergency care; primary care to
specialty care, including long-term and palliative care; vision, hearing and oral health
care; mental health and substance abuse services; as well as prescription
medications, medical equipment, supplies, diagnostics and treatments. Patients will
be able to choose a health care provider without worrying about whether that
provider is in-network and will be able to get the care they need without having to
read any fine print or trying to figure out how they can afford the out-of-pocket
costs.
WHAT IT MEANS FOR PATIENTS
As a patient, all you need to do is go to the doctor and show your insurance card.
Bernies plan means no more copays, no more deductibles and no more fighting with
insurance companies when they fail to pay for charges.
GETTING HEALTH CARE SPENDING UNDER CONTROL
We outspend all other countries on the planet and our medical spending continues
to grow faster than the rate of inflation. Creating a single, public insurance system
will go a long way towards getting health care spending under control. The United
States has thousands of different health insurance plans, all of which set different
reimbursement rates across different networks for providers and procedures
resulting in high administrative costs. Two patients with the same condition may get
very different care depending on where they live, the health insurance they have and
what their insurance covers. A patient may pay different amounts for the same
prescription depending solely on where the prescription is filled. Health care
providers and patients must navigate this complex and bewildering system wasting
precious time and resources.
By moving to an integrated system, the government will finally have the ability to
stand up to drug companies and negotiate fair prices for the American people
collectively. It will also ensure the federal government can track access to various
providers and make smart investments to avoid provider shortages and ensure
communities can access the providers they need.
Major Savings for Families and Businesses

Bernies plan will cost over $6 trillion less than the current health care system over
the next ten years.
The United States currently spends $3 trillion on health care each yearnearly
$10,000 per person. Reforming our health care system, simplifying our payment
structure and incentivizing new ways to make sure patients are actually getting
better health care will generate massive savings. This plan has been estimated to
save the American people and businesses over $6 trillion over the next decade.
The typical middle class family would save over $5,000 under this plan.
Last year, the average working family paid $4,955 in premiums and $1,318 in
deductibles to private health insurance companies. Under this plan, a family of four
earning $50,000 would pay just $466 per year to the single-payer program,
amounting to a savings of over $5,800 for that family each year.
Businesses would save over $9,400 a year in health care costs for the average
employee.
The average annual cost to the employer for a worker with a family who makes
$50,000 a year would go from $12,591 to just $3,100.
How Much Will It Cost and How Do We Pay For It?

HOW MUCH WILL IT COST?
This plan has been estimated to cost $1.38 trillion per year.
THIS PLAN WOULD BE FULLY PAID FOR BY:
A 6.2 percent income-based health care premium paid by employers.
Revenue raised: $630 billion per year.
A 2.2 percent income-based premium paid by households.
This year, a family of four taking the standard deduction can have income up
to $28,800 and not pay this tax under this plan.
A family of four making $50,000 a year taking the standard deduction would
only pay $466 this year.
Progressive income tax rates.
Revenue raised: $110 billion a year.
Under this plan the marginal income tax rate would be:
37 percent on income between $250,000 and $500,000.
43 percent on income between $500,000 and $2 million.
48 percent on income between $2 million and $10 million. (In 2013, only
113,000 households, the top 0.08 percent of taxpayers, had income
between $2 million and $10 million.)
52 percent on income above $10 million. (In 2013, only 13,000
households, just 0.01 percent of taxpayers, had income exceeding $10
million.)
Taxing capital gains and dividends the same as income from work.
Warren Buffett, the second wealthiest American in the country, has said that
he pays a lower effective tax rate than his secretary. The reason is that he
receives most of his income from capital gains and dividends, which are taxed
at a much lower rate than income from work. This plan will end the special tax
break for capital gains and dividends on household income above $250,000.
Limit tax deductions for rich.
Revenue raised: $15 billion per year
Under Bernies plan, households making over $250,000 would no longer be
able to save more than 28 cents in taxes from every dollar in tax deductions.
This limit would replace more complicated and less effective limits on tax
breaks for the rich including the AMT, the personal exemption phase-out and
the limit on itemized deductions.
The Responsible Estate Tax.
This provision would tax the estates of the wealthiest 0.3 percent (threetenths of 1 percent) of Americans who inherit over $3.5 million at progressive
rates and close loopholes in the estate tax.
Savings from health tax expenditures.
Several tax breaks that subsidize health care (health-related tax
expenditures) would become obsolete and disappear under a single-payer
health care system, saving $310 billion over ten years.
Most importantly, health care provided by employers is compensation that is
not subject to payroll taxes or income taxes under current law. This is a
significant tax break that would effectively disappear under this plan because
all Americans would receive health care through the new single-payer
program instead of employer-based health care.

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ME D ICARE

Medicare for All

Medicare for All: Leaving No One Behind

Major Savings for Families and Businesses

How Much Will It Cost and How Do We Pay For It?

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