Medicare-for-All: The Hype v. Maryland's Reality

“Medicare for All” advocates, such as Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), argue that single-payer health care could help pay for a major expansion of coverage by greatly reducing the cost of purchasing medical services. They base their argument on two principal observations: that Medicare pays 40 percent less than private insurers for hospital services, and that medical costs are much lower in countries where prices are set by the government.