An elderly patient wearing a mask is seen being wheeled out of an ambulance at Bellevue Hospital in New York City on March 30, 2020. (Photo: John Nacion/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Medicare for All Support Surges to 9-Month High in New Poll After Coronavirus Exposes Horrors of Private Insurance
"How can it be that we spend 18% of our GDP on healthcare but still lack the beds, masks, ventilators, gowns, gloves, and test kits we need to adequately respond to this crisis?" asked Sen. Bernie Sanders.
Support for Medicare for All among U.S. voters has reached a nine-month high in a Morning Consult/Politico tracking poll as the deadly and ongoing coronavirus pandemic lays bare the horrors and systemic inefficiencies of America's profit-driven healthcare system.
The survey (pdf), released Wednesday, found that 55 percent of U.S. voters support Medicare for All, a nine-point jump since February. While support for Medicare for All is highest among Democratic voters at 75%, a majority of Independents--52%--also support the policy, along with 31% of Republicans.
"We must transform our dysfunctional healthcare system."
--Sen. Bernie Sanders
Morning Consult's Yusra Murad wrote that the poll, conducted between March 27-29, "suggests progressive lawmakers may have an opportunity to sway key demographics--support for Medicare for All grew among people in the $50,000-$100,000 income bracket, voters between 45 and 54 years old, and black voters by roughly 10 points each."
"With the discussion of enacting a universal healthcare system in the United States intensifying, 43 percent of voters say they are more likely to support reforms to grant all Americans health insurance from the government because of the coronavirus outbreak," Murad noted. "Notably, that support does not include the frontrunner in the Democratic presidential primary election--former Vice President Joe Biden."
As Common Dreams reported, Biden on Monday doubled down on his opposition to Medicare for All, telling MSNBC that single-payer healthcare would "not solve" the coronavirus crisis.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Biden's only remaining opponent in the Democratic presidential primary race, has repeatedly argued in recent weeks--alongside many other experts and advocates--that the coronavirus outbreak and the resulting economic meltdown bolsters the case for Medicare for All, the Vermont senator's signature policy proposal.
Sanders' Medicare for All plan would provide everyone in the U.S. with comprehensive healthcare for free at the point of service and virtually eliminate the private insurance system which has left 80 million Americans uninsured or underinsured--a number that is rising rapidly as millions lose their jobs due to the coronavirus outbreak.
"How can it be that we spend 18% of our [gross domestic product] on healthcare--more than any other major country on Earth--but still lack the beds, masks, ventilators, gowns, gloves, and test kits we need to adequately respond to this crisis?" Sanders asked in a tweet on Wednesday.
"We must transform our dysfunctional healthcare system," said Sanders.
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. In a few short weeks, US voters will have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. Our Fall Campaign is underway, and we need your help. To power our newsroom through the rest of the year, we need to raise $125,000 by midnight on October 31. So if you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
Support for Medicare for All among U.S. voters has reached a nine-month high in a Morning Consult/Politico tracking poll as the deadly and ongoing coronavirus pandemic lays bare the horrors and systemic inefficiencies of America's profit-driven healthcare system.
The survey (pdf), released Wednesday, found that 55 percent of U.S. voters support Medicare for All, a nine-point jump since February. While support for Medicare for All is highest among Democratic voters at 75%, a majority of Independents--52%--also support the policy, along with 31% of Republicans.
"We must transform our dysfunctional healthcare system."
--Sen. Bernie Sanders
Morning Consult's Yusra Murad wrote that the poll, conducted between March 27-29, "suggests progressive lawmakers may have an opportunity to sway key demographics--support for Medicare for All grew among people in the $50,000-$100,000 income bracket, voters between 45 and 54 years old, and black voters by roughly 10 points each."
"With the discussion of enacting a universal healthcare system in the United States intensifying, 43 percent of voters say they are more likely to support reforms to grant all Americans health insurance from the government because of the coronavirus outbreak," Murad noted. "Notably, that support does not include the frontrunner in the Democratic presidential primary election--former Vice President Joe Biden."
As Common Dreams reported, Biden on Monday doubled down on his opposition to Medicare for All, telling MSNBC that single-payer healthcare would "not solve" the coronavirus crisis.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Biden's only remaining opponent in the Democratic presidential primary race, has repeatedly argued in recent weeks--alongside many other experts and advocates--that the coronavirus outbreak and the resulting economic meltdown bolsters the case for Medicare for All, the Vermont senator's signature policy proposal.
Sanders' Medicare for All plan would provide everyone in the U.S. with comprehensive healthcare for free at the point of service and virtually eliminate the private insurance system which has left 80 million Americans uninsured or underinsured--a number that is rising rapidly as millions lose their jobs due to the coronavirus outbreak.
"How can it be that we spend 18% of our [gross domestic product] on healthcare--more than any other major country on Earth--but still lack the beds, masks, ventilators, gowns, gloves, and test kits we need to adequately respond to this crisis?" Sanders asked in a tweet on Wednesday.
"We must transform our dysfunctional healthcare system," said Sanders.
Support for Medicare for All among U.S. voters has reached a nine-month high in a Morning Consult/Politico tracking poll as the deadly and ongoing coronavirus pandemic lays bare the horrors and systemic inefficiencies of America's profit-driven healthcare system.
The survey (pdf), released Wednesday, found that 55 percent of U.S. voters support Medicare for All, a nine-point jump since February. While support for Medicare for All is highest among Democratic voters at 75%, a majority of Independents--52%--also support the policy, along with 31% of Republicans.
"We must transform our dysfunctional healthcare system."
--Sen. Bernie Sanders
Morning Consult's Yusra Murad wrote that the poll, conducted between March 27-29, "suggests progressive lawmakers may have an opportunity to sway key demographics--support for Medicare for All grew among people in the $50,000-$100,000 income bracket, voters between 45 and 54 years old, and black voters by roughly 10 points each."
"With the discussion of enacting a universal healthcare system in the United States intensifying, 43 percent of voters say they are more likely to support reforms to grant all Americans health insurance from the government because of the coronavirus outbreak," Murad noted. "Notably, that support does not include the frontrunner in the Democratic presidential primary election--former Vice President Joe Biden."
As Common Dreams reported, Biden on Monday doubled down on his opposition to Medicare for All, telling MSNBC that single-payer healthcare would "not solve" the coronavirus crisis.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Biden's only remaining opponent in the Democratic presidential primary race, has repeatedly argued in recent weeks--alongside many other experts and advocates--that the coronavirus outbreak and the resulting economic meltdown bolsters the case for Medicare for All, the Vermont senator's signature policy proposal.
Sanders' Medicare for All plan would provide everyone in the U.S. with comprehensive healthcare for free at the point of service and virtually eliminate the private insurance system which has left 80 million Americans uninsured or underinsured--a number that is rising rapidly as millions lose their jobs due to the coronavirus outbreak.
"How can it be that we spend 18% of our [gross domestic product] on healthcare--more than any other major country on Earth--but still lack the beds, masks, ventilators, gowns, gloves, and test kits we need to adequately respond to this crisis?" Sanders asked in a tweet on Wednesday.
"We must transform our dysfunctional healthcare system," said Sanders.