Medicare for All Opponents Have Only Lies, Fearmongering
Statement of Eagan Kemp, Health Care Policy Advocate, Public Citizen
Note: Today, the U.S. House of Representatives Budget Committee is holding a hearing to discuss Medicare for All.
Today’s hearing shows that Medicare for All is not only within reach, but would address the key problems of our health care system, including 30 million uninsured Americans, 40 million underinsured Americans, rising out-of-pocket costs and excessive medicine prices.
But we also saw the game of lies and fearmongering that opponents, bankrolled by Big Pharma and insurers, are trying to play. Republican lawmakers continue to misrepresent what a Medicare for All system would do while failing to provide any ideas for reforming our fragmented health care system. After years of voting to repeal the Affordable Care Act, they now are working to protect the profits of big insurance and big pharma, even though it means millions of Americans must go without health care.
The fact is that the U.S. is spending nearly 18% of its GDP on health care, far more than any other comparable country. By funding Medicare for All with progressive taxation, working families would pay up to 14% less than they currently do.
Medicare for All is the only way to fix our broken system and put patients ahead of profits.