This op-ed in the Christian Science Monitor from Sen. Bernie Sanders, S-Vt., is refreshing I suppose for its honesty (even though I’m not assuming Sanders wrote the headline):
First, should all Americans be entitled to healthcare in the same way we respond to other basic needs such as education, police, and fire protection? Second, if we are to provide quality healthcare to all, how do we accomplish that in the most cost-effective way?
The answer to the first question is pretty clear, and one of the reasons that Barack Obama was elected president. Most Americans believe that all of us should have healthcare coverage, and that nobody should be left out of the system. The real debate is how we accomplish that goal in an affordable and sustainable way.
To me, the evidence is overwhelming that we must end the private insurance company domination of healthcare in our country and move toward a publicly funded, single-payer, Medicare-for-all approach.
Smarter people than me can point out all the fallacies in Sanders’ setup: Private education and fire protection and police (security) services are thriving in the U.S. even though the government offers all as “free” entitlements in many communities.
But Sanders, in his bombastic way (“With thousands of different health benefit programs designed to
maximize profits, private health insurance companies spend an
incredible 30 percent of each healthcare dollar on administration and
billing, exorbitant CEO compensation packages, advertising, lobbying,
and campaign contributions”), spells out where health-care policy is headed if the Democrats’ “reform” agenda survives. So thanks, Bernie!
