In 1904, the Socialist Party in the United States advocated for government-funded healthcare. Now, in 2019, presidential candidates are pushing the same socialist agenda, just under a new, “flashier” name: Medicare for All. It’s not a new idea for politicians in the U.S., but it is a bad one.
Currently, the U.S. healthcare system is a hybrid of private and public coverage. For about half of Americans, they’re covered by employers. Others are covered by government-funded programs like Medicare and Medicaid. Medicare is funded by taxpayers and is intended for Americans who are 65 and older. However, many politicians are pushing to drop the age requirement and apply the program to everyone.
Not only will this reduce consumer choice, but competition will be eliminated and private health insurance will cease to exist. The result will be sky-high prices—which will be paid for by taxpayers—and a free-falling quality of care.
Medicare for All is not a solution to current healthcare woes; it’s simply a catalyst to make them worse.
