“No deductibles or co-payments…[My proposed] Medicare card will allow them to go to any doctor that they want, to any hospital they want.” Bernie Sanders on Healthcare/On the Issues
Note that every developed country with a universal healthcare system requires out-of-pocket spending, such as co-pays. And most of these systems have gatekeepers, such as primary care physicians, who control access to medical specialists. Consider the Scandinavian countries:
Wow - the US certainly pays its specialists a lot: over six times the average US wage. Speaking of cost, check out the following healthcare reform proposals:
By way of clarification, Reform 8 is Bernie’s Medicare-for-All and Reform 5 is an expanded version of Obamacare. Both would provide universal coverage but Bernie’s plan would require over 20 times as much extra revenue than a bigger and better Obamacare. Why is Medicare-for-All so expensive? For starters, Medicare-for-All would cover those not legally present in the US: some 11 million or so individuals. Then there’s coverage not included in the other reforms (e.g., comprehensive mental health, dental, vision, etc.). And, finally, no cost-sharing! Uncle Sam will pay the whole bill. For more, see: How Does Medicare for All Compare with Other Universal Healthcare Options?