Ross: Higher taxes are inevitable for better health care
Oct 16, 2019, 7:47 AM | Updated: Oct 17, 2019, 10:31 am
(Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
It’s the question about Medicare-for-All that Elizabeth Warren still does not want to answer: “Will you raise taxes on the middle class to pay for it, yes or no?”
Ross: A new theory about why our health care is so expensive
“I have made clear what my principles are here, and that is costs will go up for the wealthy and for big corporations, and for hard-working middle class families, costs will go down,” answered Warren during Tuesday night’s Democratic debate.
She never says the word “tax,” unlike Bernie Sanders, who also supports Medicare for All.
“I do think it is appropriate to acknowledge taxes will go up,” Sanders admitted.
He can argue the overall cost of getting sick would go down because the plan would eliminate all other payments — insurance premiums, co-pays, deductibles — cutting the overall cost, even if your taxes are higher.
Of course if you don’t get sick, you’re just out the money. But hey, if that bothers you, you can always take up vaping.
An important question about America’s health care system
My guess is most people are in no mood for another government health care program, and that if Trump keeps his job, they might just decide to try his plan, which does exist.
It would let the free market create options which may or may not cover you, but would be so cheap you wouldn’t care. Maybe that‘s what it will take to finally agree on this issue: A nationwide medical trial of the de-regulation theory, with all of us as test subjects.