8:53 p.m. ET, February 25, 2019
Bernie Sanders explains his Medicare-for-all plan
Asked whether Americans will be able to keep private insurance plans through their jobs, Sanders said they won’t need it because Medicare for all will cover all their health care needs.
“What will change in their plans is the color of their card,” Sanders said, adding that his plan will provide comprehensive coverage, including vision, hearing aides and dental care. Also, Americans can go to any doctor, dentist or hospital they choose.
Sanders pushed back on the idea that people like their health insurance, even though a recent Gallup poll showed that 70% of those with employer plans say their coverage is excellent or good.
“People like their doctors. They like their hospitals. They like the care they’re getting,” Sanders said, noting that the only way to provide health care to all Americans in a cost effective way is through a single-payer system like the one he is proposing.
But if Americans want cosmetic surgery, for example, they can buy private plans to cover it, the senator said.