Sen. Bernie Sanders is leading his campaign with a focus on achieving economic, racial, social and environmental justice for all. Medicare for All is the centerpiece of Sanders’ campaign, and he has introduced bills in Senate during the 116th Congress. Sanders’ Medicare for All proposal would differ from other candidates’ proposals in that it would increase taxes on the middle class, though he contends increases would be lower than overall savings. His plan would also require a swifter, four-year rollout and eliminate private insurance.
Out of $73,799,034 that Sanders has raised so far in the 2020 elections:
- $1,989,278 has been linked to the Health industry
- $751,472 has been linked to hospitals/nursing homes
- $731,336 has been linked to health professionals
- $258,746 has been linked to health services/HMOs
- Kaiser Permanente is one of his biggest contributors, donating $84,982
[Source: OpenSecrets]
His Record
Drug pricing is strong focus in Sen. Sanders health care policies. Sanders introduced the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Act, the Prescription Drug Price Relief Act and the Affordable and Safe Prescription Drug Act.
Sen. Sanders also reintroduced his Medicare for All Act in April 2019.
From His Website
“We say to the private health insurance companies: whether you like it or not, the United States will join every other major country on earth and guarantee healthcare to all people as a right.
“All Americans are entitled to go to the doctor when they’re sick and not go bankrupt after staying in the hospital.
“We should be spending money on doctors, nurses, mental health specialists, dentists, and other professionals who provide services to people and improve their lives. We must invest in the development of new drugs and technologies that cure disease and alleviate pain—not wasting hundreds of billions of dollars a year on profiteering, huge executive compensation packages, and outrageous administrative costs.
“The giant pharmaceutical and health insurance lobbies have spent billions of dollars over the past decades to ensure that their profits come before the health of the American people. We must defeat them, together. That means:
- “Joining every other major country on Earth and guaranteeing health care to all people as a right, not a privilege, through a Medicare-for-all, single-payer program.”
