Libertarians Accidentally Make The Case For Medicare-For-All

In this Majority Report clip, Sam Seder tells you how a Koch Brothers backed think tank just made the case for universal healthcare in America.

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"Sen. Bernie Sanders' "Medicare for all" plan would increase government health care spending by $32.6 trillion over 10 years, according to a study by a university-based libertarian policy center. That's trillion with a "T."

The latest plan from the Vermont independent would require historic tax increases as government replaces what employers and consumers now pay for health care, according to the analysis being released Monday by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University in Virginia. It would deliver significant savings on administration and drug costs, but increased demand for care would drive up spending, the analysis found.

Sanders' plan builds on Medicare, the popular insurance program for seniors. All U.S. residents would be covered with no copays and deductibles for medical services. The insurance industry would be relegated to a minor role.

"Enacting something like 'Medicare for all' would be a transformative change in the size of the federal government," said Charles Blahous, the study's author. Blahous was a senior economic adviser to former President George W. Bush and a public trustee of Social Security and Medicare during the Obama administration.

Responding to the study, Sanders took aim at the Mercatus Center, which receives funding from the conservative Koch brothers. Koch Industries CEO Charles Koch is on the center's board."

Libertarians Accidentally Make The Case For Medicare-For-All

56 thoughts on “Libertarians Accidentally Make The Case For Medicare-For-All

    • acceptjesusorburn I’m open to your thoughts; how is it that people complain about money negatively influencing government and private media while still championing market ideology as a source of fundamental values?

    • Barklord Because they don’t believe the government is supposed to have enough power to control the market. But you know.. how can leftists complain about ‘money in politics’ when they want the whole economy to be controlled by the gubmint. LOL!

    • acceptjesusorburn Where did you get the idea that the government isn’t supposed to have enough power to control markets? It’s specifically written into the Constitution in Article 1, section 8, clause 3: “To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes”.

      Depending on what you mean by “leftists”, people generally don’t want their lives to be completely dictated by financial interests in such a way that every value is subordinated to profit and private property.

  1. So all those countries that have single payer did it because it’s a financially beneficial way of keeping the country healthy.

    • mrsme1234 Lol listen I just said “free” healthcare with quotations because it’s a term the left uses. I know what it means.

      I’m a believer in the Austrian school not neoclassical. It’s a matter of moral philosophy and individualism and freedom, that’s why it opposes Marx based economics. It’s not a matter for 12 year olds you dumb pos. Keynesian never killed neoclassical economics. Dumbass. There has always been the typical divide between the right left paradigm. Milton Friedman was also a kind and brilliant academic who decimated presumptuous Keynesian economics. Ofc you Marxists hate him.

    • acceptjesusorburn
      You oppose Marxian economics? Lol do you even know what Marxian economics are. It’s not socialism, it’s not communism, it’s not free Healthcare. Read what I wrote. Neoclassical Chicago School style economics killed Keynesian economics, which is what I wrote. Neoclassical economics is virtually indistinguishable from the Austrian school and the Chicago school and together, mixed with a tiny bit of remaining Keynesian economics, comprises the neoliberal period that we live in. Yes, Milton Friedman swindled the majority and destroyed Keynesian economics and ever since society has been getting more unjust and inequality had exploded. Politicians sold out and turned a socially democratic society into a grossly corrupt polyarchy. Most of this economic academics is completely irrelevant given modern monetary theory.

      I’m not a Marxist, whatever that means in your mind, though I do find truths in Das Kapital. I’m don’t even consider myself a socialist. Technically speaking I’m a Keynesian style social democrat though I also support things like worker co-opts.

      You should definitely call and debate Sam Seder about libertarianism cause you really don’t know what your talking about. Schadenfreude ad exemplum

    • On second thought, before one considers calling into the Majority Report and debating Sam about Libertarianism I would recommend you checkout this playlist of such videos.
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7ySmxtmovU&list=PLOC5u3ZE5KnULSO292d3LrtIi5FPOmTgL

      Watch them and consider the arguments he makes. If you still think that Libertarianism is a better system for society than a mixed market economy, or specifically a Keynesian social democracy, then please do call and debate any Libertarian related topics. Universal Healthcare for instance.

    • mrsme1234 You sound like a kid. Ofc I know Marxian economics, and most socialism is Marx based so yea ofc Keynesian economics still applies Marxism in portion. For one -Austrian school, the economy is seen to be unstable, not an equilibrium like in neoclassical. That’s a pretty big difference if you ask me. Well Milton Friedamn didn’t swindle anybody he just applied principle and logic.

  2. Being free requires you to not be bound to jobs due to needing health insurance. Im SHOCKED many libertarians DONT want medicare for all.

    • MrSmallANDLoud, libertarians support businesses and the wealthy, first and foremost, so they don’t want people able to leave their jobs. They literally support wage slavery for god’s sake. Calling themselves “libertarians” is an ironic joke, like the ones that call themselves “republicans”.

    • Somehow being forced to work for someone else to live doesn’t count as an infringement of personal freedom to them. Not sure how that escapes their notice.

  3. 300 Billion to 4 Trillion. That’s the range of what we’d save based on the studies.
    And that’s not even including the fact that Americans will be getting a lot of preventative care which will also save us money.
    We can’t afford not to do this!

  4. There’s a political saying that goes “Never ask a question you don’t know the answer to”. And it shows just how much the higher-ups (who commissioned the poll) are out-of-touch with the public.

    • Space-Cadet David ‘Spanky Bonespurs’ Dennison they can’t even see us from their ivory towers, much less know the struggles of our lives, or what we hold dear….

  5. Healthcare is one industry in where competition does not = lower prices. It’s evident in the fact that premiums keep rising, co-pays keep rising, prescription costs keep rising etc.

    Aside from the lower costs, now everyone who is not insured or underinsured will finally have coverage. Imagine the quality of life if all Americans have access to proper healthcare.

    Single payer system is the logical choice. Now that we see it can save the government money (which was the main argument), how can anyone still be against it?

    • Wow so if you have two insurance companies, a person will not go with the cheaper option? Competition doesn’t work? Get fucked economic illiterate.

    • acceptjesusorburn You have yet to explain how that creates lower prices within insurance companies?

      This isn’t like two gas stations on opposite corners of an intersection. Healthcare Company A will not lower their prices just because Healthcare Company B’s premiums are lower. This is why you will never see your premiums go down over time, only up. It would make sense if healthcare insurance was “a la carte” where you can pick and choose your coverage between different companies. THAT would drive lower prices. And most people do not leave their insurance companies to search for better prices which means they don’t have to compete.

      I see you keep using the term “economic illiterate” so please enlighten us on your mastery of economics.

    • Queen Bee You are obviously illiterate and have no analytical skills. You create more than one insurance company so that they compete with each other for customers and offer better deals. How do you dumb fuckers not understand that? The reason premiums go up and down overall, bar bureaucratic regulation, has to do with healthcare costs and market demands.

  6. Getting taxed a reasonable amount to cover EVERYBODY by the government or you can get TAXED by corporations obscene amounts of money and only the wealthiest get healthcare coverage.

    Citizens well being or profits this shouldn’t even be a question.

  7. A good example of how backwards and broken the US healthcare system is that there are now people called Navigators whose job is to teach people how to work through the Byzantine system of insurance, hospitals, and prescription drugs in order to not get ripped off or go bankrupt or die. Getting a procedure, or even a common test like an MRI, is like shopping for a used car now in America. You’re already dealing with sickness or injury but if you don’t do your homework and find the cheapest deal you will be in deep trouble. Citizens of other countries can’t even fathom a system so barbaric still existing in the modern world.

  8. Corporate death panels between you and your doctor without regulations to protect those needing medical care, make libertarians tiny weenises erect.

  9. It works in countries that are doing far better than the United states right now. The money grubbing republicunts have scared its party into thinking it’s socialism to make sure your citizens dont go bankrupt if they get injured or sick. People are full of fear and easy to herd. Especially in America where most voters are uneducated and highly manipulated. I can already hear the right screaming that it will never work. Even though it has been proven to work. Perhaps it wouldn’t work in America on account of all the greedy bastards that would rather see you sick or dead than not getting overcharged for below average medical care. It’s sad that all of America has to suffer because half the population is too stupid to know a good thing when they see it. Wonder how many “elected officials” that oppose global health care have ties to insurance or pharmaceutical companies. That’s American democracy for you. Let the sharks tell you when it’s safe to go swimming. Capitalism means screw you unless you can pay enough for us to screw someone else. The America first people are only talking about themselves, not all Americans. The proof is in what they stand for. They dont want to invest in America or making it better for all. It’s a me myself and mine situation. If it doesn’t directly benefit them immediately. These are the same people who hide behind the flag and country. They love America except when it comes to doing anything that might help its occupants.

    • Arthur Menges oh, don’t worry – the same talking points are already pouring in. Fortunately, it feels like (IME), more people are actually willing to have a dialogue. I suspect that’s due to the lack of widespread knowledge and wanting to strengthen their argument. It’s been pretty interesting, thus far.

    • In addition, the bankruptcy factor is so gigantic, I don’t know why it isn’t brought up FIRST, front and center, in discussions or during speeches. An overwhelming number of people feel that so personally and it’s tied directly to their wallets.

    • Arthur Menges And spending way less money for better care by the way. Idiots go with feeling and not facts because they think everybody is just as fucking STUPID as they are. Smfh

    • Meg Paul my expectations of American Congress taking steps towards this country’s future in a positive way are so low I would be surprised if the even passed any healthcare at all. They spend more time complaining about someone else’s attempt at a solution than coming up with one themselves. Even a Congress that did push for universal healthcare didn’t get anything but push back. They will turn it into a liberal thing so it will be easier to villainize.

  10. First, the government isn’t paying for it, it’s the money that the American people contribute collectively and we have a right to demand what we want to make our lives better. What is a country, but about the people, without them you got nothing. I get so tried of them putting that spin on it, as if government people are paying for it and it’s the peoples money.

  11. Were the Kochs and their rich friends really expecting a fair, independent study on this issue to conclude that private insurance is cheaper than single payer? Haha, I thought they were smarter than that.

    • It’s the usual idiotic right wing tactic of showing how’s much more it would cost the government, and how much more expensive your tax bill be. They just assume all their supporters are too dumb to realise they won’t be paying their medical premiums as well.

    • Is killing animals violating the non-aggression principle. Is abortion murder. Is it ok to torture an animal? Should all drugs be legal? what about date rape drugs. Is government a gang. if so how can you prove land ownership? Is all taxation theft even for defense and police. Is child labor wrong. if not why can’t they vote? BTW I’m a liberation also but just wanted to throw some curve balls your way.

    • In contrast to pacifism, the non-aggression principle does not forbid forceful defense so the government can protect people and children. You can pay taxes through tariffs as a pay to use service. The right to vote entails more than just working, used to include land ownership and military draught. Land rights are a private contract, the government shall not infringe on that right they ought protect it.

    • acceptjesusorburn Libertarianism has never worked. I mean, even Joe Rogan beat Dave Rubin in a debate about libertarianism. xD

  12. “But how will we pay for it?” – a question Americans never seem to ask when throwing more money on an already-bloated military-industrial complex then the next 10 countries combined

  13. I wish every American could visit somewhere like the UK and suddenly need medical help. So they could see it first hand.

  14. Got an ad for an “approved” poll for how the president is doing right now. The three options were:
    Great
    Good
    Okay

    Lol nice try

    • More realistic options:
      But Russia
      He’s still President?
      Meh
      Can we vote Trump out in next episode of The Apprentice?
      Best Twitter war president
      Nissan out of 10

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