Medicare for All' Could End Crisis

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Forty-six million Americans are uninsured. Almost twice that number are underinsured. Health care costs are soaring out of control. On average, 4,000 Americans have lost their health care coverage every day since 2000. Insurance premiums have increased more than 70 percent since then — five times faster than employee earnings. No American family is more than one pink slip or one employer decision to drop coverage away from being uninsured.

This is a crisis that demands real solutions, but the Bush administration is AWOL. More tax shelters for the wealthy are not the answer. In fact, the administration actually seems to believe that the cause of the crisis is that citizens aren't paying enough. Replacing employer-provided health care coverage with individual accounts means that employers will stop providing the coverage you count on and simply make you pay your own way. The Bush administration is trying to do for health care what it tried and failed to do with Social Security. Their concept of the "ownership society" is nothing but a sweetheart deal for the insurance industry and other special interests. All you own is the right to pay exorbitant costs for your health care and your retirement.

Recently, I introduced my "Medicare for All" legislation in the Senate to make good health care available and affordable to every American. Those who prefer private insurance will also have the option of choosing any of the plans offered to members of Congress, the president and federal employees.

Good health coverage is as essential today for all Americans as it was for senior citizens 40 years ago, when Medicare was first enacted. I have no doubt that the Congress would have enacted it for all Americans if today's health crisis had existed then.

"Medicare for All" is the obvious solution to the health care crisis we face today, and the sooner Congress enacts it, the sooner we will end this festering crisis in health care that has been plaguing America for too long.