Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., fired back at President Donald Trump's USA Today op-ed lambasting "Medicare for All" with a USA Today op-ed of his own.
"Trump is grossly distorting what the Medicare for All legislation does," Mr. Sanders wrote. Earlier this week, President Trump penned an op-ed that said Medicare for All would expand coverage but reduce access to care for Americans and ultimately siphon benefits away from seniors.
Mr. Sanders argued these claims are false. His healthcare proposal would instead save Americans money, benefit the business community and expand benefits for seniors, he wrote. Mr. Sanders cited a study by RAND that found Medicare for All could save New York families $3,000 per person per year, and he cited another by the conservative Mercatus Center that estimated the plan would save the average American $6,000 over a decade.
"Medicare is the most popular, successful and cost-effective health insurance program in the country," Mr. Sanders wrote. Expanding these benefits to the greater population would not reduce funding to seniors, according to Mr. Sanders. It would instead add dental, vision and hearing-aid benefits and eliminate deductibles and copays for older Americans.
Lastly, he noted Medicare for All would allow companies to shift resources away from providing employee health benefits toward their business goals.
"Here is the bottom line: If every major country on earth can guarantee healthcare to all and achieve better health outcomes, while spending substantially less per capita than we do, it is absurd for anyone to suggest that the United States of America cannot do the same," Mr. Sanders wrote.
Read the full op-ed here.
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