As the 2018 midterm elections approach, growing numbers of progressive candidates have endorsed a single-payer health insurance program that will supposedly cover all Americans and deliver better medical care than our current health care system. However, new research suggests that these promises could cost voters trillions more than they expected.
According to a July 30 study from the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, establishing a single-payer health care program will cost taxpayers $32 trillion over the next 10 years. The author of the report, Senior Research Strategist Charles Blahous, arrived at his estimate by forecasting the cost of Sen. Bernie Sanders' (I-Vt.) Medicare For All Act. Sanders' proposal would create a government-run health insurance program that enrolls everyone, regardless of age, income, or health status. It would provide every manner of medical care including doctor's visits, hospital stays, prescription drugs, and nursing home stays. Furthermore, it would deliver all of these services without charging premiums, deductibles, co-pays or any other fees.
