Posted on 08/23/2018 10:16:07 AM PDT by Simon Green
A vast majority — 70 percent — of Americans in a new poll supports "Medicare for all," also known as a single-payer health-care system.
The Reuters–Ipsos survey found 85 percent of Democrats said they support the policy along with 52 percent of Republicans.
Medicare for all has been in the headlines after a study by the libertarian-leaning Mercatus Center at George Mason University found it would lead to $32.6 trillion increase in federal spending over a 10-year period.
The study’s author, Charles Blahous, wrote in The Wall Street Journal earlier this month that even doubling taxes would not cover the bill for a single-payer health-care system.
The policy’s proponents, however, point to a note in the study showing that health-care costs would also decrease by $2 trillion by 2031 if it became law.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who has introduced a Medicare for all bill, has said that the Mercatus study is “grossly misleading and biased “.
The new Reuters poll also showed that a majority of Americans supports free college tuition. Forty-one percent of Republicans said they supported the policy, pollsters found, compared with 79 percent of Democrats.
The move to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was also opposed by a majority of respondents. Seventy percent of Republicans said they opposed abolishing the 15-year-old agency, while Democrats said they were evenly split on the issue, with roughly 44 percent in favor of abolishing it and 44 percent saying it should remain.
The Reuters poll consulted American adults throughout June and July this year. Reuters asked 2,989 respondents about Medicare for all, 5,339 about free college tuition, and 7,737 about abolishing ICE. The results have margins of error of 2 percentage points for the Medicare for all and free college tuition questions. The margin of error for the question about abolishing ICE is 1 percentage point.
I’m going to be forced into Medicare next year and I’m dreading it. I’m going to automatically become a second class citizen when it comes to health care. A lot of doctors will want nothing to do with me. I’ve never had a family doctor, but my wife convinced me to get one so I’d have a family doctor if I ever needed one once I’m on Medicare. I can only hope he doesn’t kick me to the curb when I turn 65. Anyone who thinks Medicare for all would be wonderful are absolutely insane. Then all of America would be second class citizens when it comes to health care, except of course, the ruling elite. We’d have rationed health care just like the Brits have with NHS.
Why should the Democrats care about covering bills? Republicans aren't.
80% of those wanting medicare for all do not realize medicare is not free to prople who have it and it does not pay for drugs. And it does not pay for all dr bills etc
It sounds amazing like not Single-Payer...in theory anyway.
You missed my point completely.
I never said Medicare is free!
Again to make it simpler to understand...
When one gets Medicare benefit, which pays 80% of hospital costs, the person has QUALIFIED himself/herself by contributing Medicare taxes. You do not get Medicare if you did not contribute enough taxes to Medicare. My mother was in that situation, and could get Medicaid, not Medicare after age 65.
If Medicare for ALL is passed, every Top Dick & Harry, who has not contributed any Medicare taxes IMMEDIATELY gets that 80% hospital benefit.
Instead of teaching social justice in school, math and economics needs to be emphasized.
You got that right FRiend!
After going on Medicare at age 65, every time we moved, it was real bitch to find a good Doctor nearby who would accept NEW Medicare patients.
I am now on a Humana plan, not Medicare, and it pays me $52/month to sign up, and no monthly fees.
What they like is Medicare taxes are much lower than signing on to Obamacare.
This is just another bogus poll!
So 70 percent of people want long wait lists, mediocre care, less prescription choices and total Government control of their healthcare? Well hell move to some socialist country then!
Uh huh...
Lol.
That's a switch. They pay you instead of you paying them? There must be a catch somewhere.
We need to ask these people if they think veterans are getting good care from the Veteran’s Administration medical system. And when they acknowledge, hopefully, the problems with the VA, tell them to expect the same problems and MORE when ALL of their medical care is under the government.
People who support this should go tour a Veteran’s Affairs hospital and see what single-payer actually looks like.
No catch, I am on that Humana Gold HMO plan since January, and it has paid me $52 every month. It is a Medicare Plus plan. I see doctors who work with Human, zero co-pays. If I go to hospital, I pay $100/day for upto 7 days then Humana will pay rest. If I see a specialist, $35 co-pay. It also covers prescription drugs. I just got a Rx for cholesterol, cost would be $625 for 90 days supply without insurance. I had to pat $16.
Note...this particular plan is available only in certain counties. Not available in all Florida counties. And that $52 reduces my Medicare plan B cost by $52 every month. Humana does not send a me check.
I actually think isn’t the ground that we should be fighting on. I was talking to my dad who’s a leftist and I said I don’t have a huge issue with this variant of leftism, but you have to make a choice: open borders or cradle-to-grave social welfare. Pick one or the other, but you can’t have both. He really had no response.
I believe the poll.
Note that there are 92 Million American adultss not working.
12 Million families are receiving food stamps.
15 Million are receiving disability checks.
90% on Obamacare get taxpayer subsidies to pay monthly premiums.
Add up all these people, who would love to get Medicare which costs heckuva lot less than Obamacare.
IOW, the Mercatus study is correct and it's economically non-viable, annnnd, the poll didn't explain what Medicare for all actually is, and everyone polled thought it referred to going on Medicare at 65. Thanks Simon Green.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.