“Senator
Sanders has been a tireless champion in the cause to guarantee quality
health care as a human right. His bill addresses the underlying forces
that make our health care system so expensive, such as the enormous
administrative overhead of the health insurance industry and obscene
drug prices,” said Tom Myers, AHF’s chief of public affairs and general counsel.
“The
U.S has the most complicated and expensive health care system in the
world,” said Myers. “Senator Sanders’ Medicare for All legislation will
make sure that people living with HIV will have access to treatment and
not have to pay for exorbitant prices for life-saving anti-retroviral
medication.”
The
U.S. Medicare program, which has a 50-year record of success, is now
only available to everyone over 65. This legislation would make
tax-funded healthcare available that is medically necessary including
primary care and prevention, prescription drugs, emergency care,
long-term care, mental health services, dental services and vision care.
Like Medicare, patients would choose from participating physicians and
institutions.
The
program would be funded by taxes replacing insurance premiums. Funds
from existing government sources for health care, increasing personal
income taxes on the top five percent of income earners, a progressive
excise tax on payroll and self-employment income, a tax on unearned
income, and a transaction tax on stock and bond purchases would be
enacted by the legislation. These taxes would be offset by the
elimination of premium payments to health insurance companies. Health
insurers would be prohibited from selling health insurance that
duplicates benefits provided in the legislation. They may sell
insurance for services that are not medically necessary.
“This
legislation will help all our patients and it will eliminate barriers
to ending the AIDS epidemic. Everyday support is building in the U.S.
for expanding Medicare. AHF looks forward to the enactment of this bill
into law,” said Myers.
To view Senator Sanders’ statement on his introduction of the ‘Medicare for All Act of 2019’ click here.