| Bill Number | S-1782 |
Bernard (Bernie) Sanders
Health Care for All Americans
Understanding Health Care Policy
Other names for this bill...
This bill sometimes is referred to by the acronym for American Health Security Act - AHSA.
It has been dubbed Medicare for All
In addition to its other names, the AHSA also is known as a Universal Health Care or single-payer health care law.
What does this bill do?
This bill completely changes the way health care is provided to and paid for by Americans.
It...
o Reduces health care costs for the overwhelming majority of Americans
How would it work?
Currently, Americans pay for health care in a wide variety of ways...
o The government pays for all or part of their care through a program such as Medicare or Medicaid.
o They go without health care except in emergencies. Visiting the emergency room of a hospital is the most expensive way to receive health care, and it is mostly paid for by other Americans through taxes or increased costs.
This law would change all of that. Under the law, each state would administer a single-payer system of health care. Health care providers in each state would be paid by their state's agency.
Every American would be allowed to receive care from just about any doctor they choose, and would never see a bill.
What types of services would be covered?
The new system would cover virtually every aspect of health care, including...
o Prescription drugs
o Dental and vision care
o Mental health care
o Long-term care
How would all this be paid for? What would it cost you?
Federal money would be allocated to the states to pay health care providers.
Initially, money would be re-allocated from programs such as Medicare and Medicaid - as those programs would no longer be needed.
A health care tax would provide the money needed to pay providers...
o Anyone earning less than $200,000 in a year would pay 2.2 percent of their taxable income.
o The tax increases for individuals earning more than $200,000 in a year ($250,000 for spouses filing jointly).
Two things are important to note here...
o You can compare your costs under this plan with what you currently pay for health care using this table...
