“A new study that puts an astronomical price tag on a Medicare-for-all proposal has prompted mockery from conservatives and defensive cries from liberals.
The analysis, from the libertarian-leaning Mercatus Center at George Mason University, focuses on legislation introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and estimates that his proposal to create a national health insurance system would lead to a $32.6 trillion increase in federal spending over a 10-year period.
The eye-popping figure is tied in large part to the fact that under Medicare for all, the federal government is designed to take on almost all health spending. Which explains why federal spending would go up significantly.
Proponents of Medicare for all, also known as a single-payer system, are quick to note the study also estimates national expenditures on health care would decrease by about $2 trillion by 2031 if the Sanders bill were signed into law.
That means overall health-care spending would decline, but the government’s share of that figure would go up, something small-government Republicans find unsettling.”
Read more at: http://Thehill.Com/Policy/Healthcare/399715-New-Study-Ignites-Debate-Over-Cost-Of-Medicare-For-All?
Source: TheHill.com – July 31, 2018
