“Medicare for All” Gaining Support Amongst Americans

It’s been more than a month since President Trump and other Republican leaders saw their healthcare bill— known as the American Health Care Act —fall short on the House floor. While lawmakers return to the drawing board, a comprehensive healthcare idea is gaining traction amongst many Americans: a single-payer system, otherwise known as “Medicare for All.”

This “cradle to grave” thought on healthcare is not a new or novel idea. In fact, the legislation (H.R. 676) was proposed in 2003, but recently has been revisited, revised, and touted as a possible healthcare solution.

“Don’t just be satisfied with defeating Trumpcare,” Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) told supporters shortly after the House vote, “Set your sights on creating real Medicare for all!” Ellison is a co-sponsor of the “Medicare for All” bill in the House, while Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is reintroducing the same universal health care legislation in the Senate.

Although “Medicare for All” seems to deviate from America’s traditional privatization of healthcare, the U.S. has already successfully developed and embraced several government-provided insurance systems in addition to Medicare, such as care for veterans or citizens with disabilities.

Also, the Medicare for All legislation highlights that “nearly every free-market country in the world” already provides some sort of universal health care system for their citizens, citing countries like Australia, Canada, Germany, and Japan.

While support for a single-payer system in America may seem scarce, given the recent cries for smaller government; in fact, Americans are surprisingly open to the idea. According to a recent Morning Consult/POLITICO poll, 44 percent of voters said they would support “a single-payer health care system, where all Americans would get their health insurance from one government plan”; only 36 percent of respondents said they would oppose the idea.

In addition, an April survey from the Economist/YouGov revealed even more support for expanding Medicare to all Americans. The survey reported that 60 percent of Americans either “favor strongly” or “favor somewhat” the idea of expanding Medicare to provide health insurance to every American.

More support for single-payer insurance is logical given the health insurance trends in the last 20 years. “Since 1987, the share of Americans who receive some sort of public insurance has roughly doubled, to about 4 in 10 as of 2015,” The Washington Post recently reported.

Despite the recent discussion and overall support surrounding “Medicare for All,” it’s unlikely that a single-payer system becomes the short-term solution to America’s healthcare overhaul. Regardless, in the wake of the failed American Health Care Act, it’s positive to see Americans and lawmakers open to proposing and exploring innovative healthcare options.