08/23/2026
Medicare for All
Pronouncing “Medicare-for-All” takes less than two seconds of sales pitch. Like the proverbial snake oil salesman, it sounds great. The issue with its espousing, other than it is advertised for everyone and as a “human right,” is there is never any politician or media follow-up of substance, especially regarding access and costs.
Every human being in the United States has access to America’s healthcare — it’s Federal Law. Under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act established in 1986, hospitals within the U.S. are required to provide medical care of an emergency nature — be that person a citizen or foreigner (tourist, student, worker, migrant, illegal alien, gang member, terrorist, or King Charles III, Vladimir Putin, Mojtaba Khamenei, Benjamin Netanyahu).
Canada’s healthcare system is mentioned as a solution for America. Canadians have universal healthcare. Every citizen is eligible. Canada healthcare is akin to U.S. Medicare - it covers certain “allowables.” Greater coverage requires purchase of private health insurance. What one does not hear is migrants, undocumented workers, illegal aliens, etc., in general, cannot enroll. They purchase private health insurance or pay out of pocket.
European social democracies mostly provide wonderful healthcare. German workers and businesses pay roughly a combined 17.5% of their gross personal and business income (generally equally split) into their National Health Fund. In England, Britons pay between 12% and 14% of their gross income and businesses 3% of their gross revenues to finance their National Health Service. U.S. citizens pay 1.45% and employers 1.45% for Medicare - totaling only 2.90%.
A Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services fact sheet on U.S. National Health Expenditures for 2017 revealed total outlay for healthcare amounted to $3.492 trillion—17.9% of America’s GDP and $10,739 per capita. That report projected expenditures continually increase each year until $6 trillion is reached in ten years. The proposed total U.S. budget for FY 2027 is only $6.9 trillion, certainly not enough to fund “vote for me and get” Medicare-for-All.
The proposed FY 2027 Medicare budget is $1.2 trillion. Some politicians pitch taxing the billionaires. Let’s start with the world’s only trillionaire. Were the government to take all of Elon Musk’s wealth, it would only pay for one year’s current Medicare. Were the government to take the entire wealth of every U.S. billionaire, it would only pay for two years Medicare. Then what? Where is Medicare-for-All going to get the other $5 trillion per year?
Like weatherpersons forecasting sunny days that eventually turn stormy, politicians propagandize great things to come with Medicare-for-All and ignore the expense. Citizens must do homework before casting ballots and voting for a “pig in a poke.”
(All Wet Publishing, LLC © 2026)
More Medicare-for-All and healthcare discussion can be found in “President You: How a Thoughtful Ordinary Citizen Could Change the Most Complex Government on Earth,” Chapter 17, Healthcare, available on Amazon.
