
He has calculated that Medicare for all would result in job losses (mostly among administrators) “somewhere in the range of two million” — about half on the insurers’ side and half employed in hospitals and doctors’ offices to argue with the former.
Full Answer
How much would Medicare for all cost the government?
According to Forbes, Sanders claims his Medicare for All plan would cost the government an additional $1.3 trillion per year, nearly doubling its current spending. That assumes that health care spending as a whole will fall because of reduced administrative costs.
Will'Medicare for all'kill two million jobs?
Opinion | ‘Medicare for All’ Could Kill Two Million Jobs, and That’s O.K. - The New York Times Reform has a cost. But the point of a health care system is to treat patients, not to buttress the economy. Supporters of Medicare for all at a rally in Washington.
How many people would lose their jobs under Medicare for all?
University of Massachusetts researchers who analyzed the 2017 version of Sanders’ Medicare for All bill estimated that nationwide more than 800,000 people who work for private health insurance companies and a further 1 million who handle administrative work for health care providers would see their jobs evaporate.
What does Medicare for all look like?
Medicare for All looks very different from the way we pay for health care in the United States today. Under the current system, people get health insurance from a patchwork of different providers. Most workers buy into health care plans sponsored by their employers.

How would Medicare for All affect employers?
Increased availability of 'good jobs' Medicare for All could increase job quality substantially by making all jobs “good” jobs in terms of health insurance coverage and by increasing the potential for higher wages.
Would Medicare for All increase wages?
0:167:23Would Medicare for All Increase Your Wages? - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAnd many economists believe that wages are lower to offset that. Cost research suggests that in someMoreAnd many economists believe that wages are lower to offset that. Cost research suggests that in some cases wages might rise when employer healthcare costs are reduced.
How Medicare for All would hurt the economy?
The real trouble comes when Medicare for all is financed by deficits. With government borrowing, universal health care could shrink the economy by as much as 24% by 2060, as investments in private capital are reduced.
How would Medicare for All affect healthcare workers?
The Truth of What Medicare for All Means for You: Under Medicare for All, “the number of registered nurse graduates will decline by more than 25% and the entire nurse workforce will shrink by 1.2 million registered nurses by 2050 relative to current projections,” according to the issue brief.
What are the downsides of free healthcare?
List of the Cons of Universal Health CareIt requires people to pay for services they do not receive. ... It may stop people from being careful about their health. ... It may limit the accuracy of patient care. ... It may have long wait times. ... It limits the payouts which doctors receive. ... It can limit new technologies.More items...•
What are the disadvantages of universal health care?
Disadvantages of universal healthcare include significant upfront costs and logistical challenges. On the other hand, universal healthcare may lead to a healthier populace, and thus, in the long-term, help to mitigate the economic costs of an unhealthy nation.
Why is universal health care bad for the economy?
Even under universal coverage, some may decline coverage because their costs are too high. These costs include out-of-pocket costs for premiums, time spent filling out forms, and the availability of information about health care coverage.
What are the pros and cons of Medicare for All?
In theory, universal healthcare leads to a healthier society and workforce. But, the biggest downside is that healthy people pay for the medical care of less healthy people....Pros of Medicare for All:Coverage for all.Doctors get equal pay.Spending leverage for lower rates.Medicare and Medicaid are single-payer systems.
Why is healthcare tied to employment?
The history of why we get our benefits from employers dates back to WWII, when companies began using healthcare as a means to attract talent, particularly women. To combat inflation, the 1942 Stabilization Act was passed to limit an employer's ability to raise wages to attract workers when the labor pool was scarce.
Does universal health care lower quality?
A right to health care could lower the quality and availability of disease screening and treatment. In countries with a universal right to health care certain disease treatment outcomes are worse than the United States.
Could universal health care work in the US?
California could become first US state to offer universal healthcare to residents. California is considering creating the first government-funded, universal healthcare system in the US for state residents.
Why Medicare for All is good for the economy?
Emergency expansion of Medicare, to Medicare for All, would also be a huge economic stimulus. The elimination of co-insurance, deductibles, co-pays, and out-of-pockets would be an economic shot in the arm for all working families, both employed and unemployed.
How many jobs would be eliminated by Medicare for All?
Opponents of a single-payer health care system have quoted an analysis of the economic effects of Medicare for All that includes the projection that up to 1.8 million jobs in the health insurance and billing administration sector could be eliminated if the policy were implemented. Bivens notes that this number has been stripped of all context that is included in the original study, and is often misleadingly presented as the predicted net employment effect of Medicare for All. But while Medicare for All would indeed lead to lower demand for labor in the health insurance and billing administration sector, it would boost demand for other types of jobs overall. For example, expanded access to health care could increase demand for health services by up to $300 billion annually, which would translate into an increased demand for 2.3 million full-time health care workers.
How does Medicare help?
Additionally, Bivens finds that Medicare for All would: 1 Provide a potential boost to wages and salaries by allowing employers to redirect healthcare spending to workers’ wages. 2 Increase job quality by ensuring that every job would come bundled with a guarantee of health care. 3 Lessen the income loss, stress, and economic shock of unemployment and job transitions by eliminating the loss of health care that accompanies job-loss 4 Support self-employment and small business development—which is low in the United States relative to other rich Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries—by eliminating the daunting cost of health care from startup costs. 5 Inject new dynamism into the overall economy by reducing “job lock”, by allowing workers to go where their skills and preferences lie, not just to workplaces with affordable health plans.
How much would expanded access to health care increase demand for health services?
For example, expanded access to health care could increase demand for health services by up to $300 billion annually, which would translate into an increased demand for 2.3 million full-time health care workers. Further, several Medicare for All plans have provisions to pay for long-term care services, which would create jobs.
How to lessen the economic shock of unemployment and job transitions?
Lessen the income loss, stress, and economic shock of unemployment and job transitions by eliminating the loss of health care that accompanies job-loss
Does Medicare for All pay for long term care?
Further, several Medicare for All plans have provisions to pay for long-term care services, which would create jobs. In 2018, U.S. households provided roughly 34 billion hours in unpaid long-term care. If divided up among full-time workers, it would require 17 million new positions. Even if 10% of this unpaid care was converted to paid positions, it would create enough jobs to essentially offset the displacement of the health insurance and billing administration workers.
Does Medicare help the labor market?
A new report from EPI research director Josh Bivens finds that Medicare for All would bolster the labor market, strengthen economic security for millions of U.S. households, and would likely boost the number of jobs in the U.S. labor market.
