August 26, 2026by Merrill Matthews, opinion contributor – 08/25/26 The Hill It may be one of the most deceptive public policy marketing schemes in modern history. First, pick the most popular health insurance program in the country, which is Medicare. Then call your health insurance reform proposal “Medicare for All,” even though the intent is to eliminate the Medicare program as we know it, so that no one would have that coverage anymore. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has long pushed to end the nation’s current mix of private health insurance (that is, employer-based and individually purchased) and government-provided health insurance (Medicare and Medicaid) and replace it with a new government-run program. Taxpayers would pay higher taxes — though no one would pay premiums — and the government would pay all medical bills. Under most government-run health care systems, as in the United Kingdom, the government determines what services and medicines are available, who can have them and when. Bureaucrats rather than doctors decide whether patients are allowed to have access to those services and medicines. That is what Sanders and 71 percent of Democrats mean by Medicare for All. But that’s not Medicare. Sanders knows he’s being deceptive. His Senate website says, “Medicare is the most popular health care program in America.” Then he claims that under Medicare for All, “every resident of the U.S. will receive health insurance through an expanded Medicare program.” That is a blatantly false statement. Medicare has multiple parts. Part A covers hospital bills, Part B covers doctors’ bills, Part C is now Medicare Advantage and Part D covers prescription drugs. Medicare for All has none of that. Importantly, Medicare Advantage relies on private sector health insurance similar to employer plans. Seniors have a choice between traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage. Currently, 55 percent of eligible seniors choose Medicare Advantage. Medicare for All excludes private sector coverage, including Medicare Advantage. Remember President Obama’s promise for the Affordable Care Act? “If you like your health plan, you can keep it,” is what he said. That won him Politifact’s 2013 “Lie of the Year.” But Sanders won’t make that claim, because he intends to ensure no one has their current health plan, including people currently on Medicare. A recent NBC News poll found that 82 percent are “satisfied with their health care coverage” and 90 percent of seniors on Medicare are satisfied with their plan, with 42 percent reporting they are “very satisfied.” But under Medicare for All, seniors can kiss their Medicare plan goodbye. Medicare for All is more like the British National Health Service’s government-run health care system. Are the Brits as satisfied with their coverage as U.S. seniors are with Medicare? The 40-year running British Social Attitudes survey found last year that only 26 percent of British subjects are satisfied with the National Health Service, with 51 percent dissatisfied. So, to recap, we’re going to take a system that has 90 percent satisfaction and abolish it in favor of one that has 26 percent satisfaction. To be sure, Medicare is also a government-run program. It has many of the same problems as Great Britian’s system, including the very low rates it pays health care providers. When the government takes over the health care system, it must balance what it spends on health care with other claims on government funds, such as education, defense and welfare. There is never enough money to go around. That is why bureaucrats decide what medical services and products are available, usually based on political pressure. Anyone who tracks the National Health Service’s problems knows this. It was a typical occurrence when officials warned last October about coming layoffs within the service unless funding was increased by £3bn “to cover unexpected costs.” There are often long waiting lines to see a doctor — and very long lines to see a specialist. The NHS currently states on its website that it tries to cap waits for “non-urgent” treatment at “18 weeks from the day your appointment is booked” — so if you get a referral today, you might be treated in January. Also, many of the newest treatments and prescription drugs available in the U.S. are not available in Great Britain. The Medicare program survives because most Americans are in private insurance plans, which essentially cross-subsidize Medicare. Health care providers make more from private-sector health insurers, allowing most of them to continue providing care for seniors on Medicare. That is far from ideal, but it is better than putting everyone into government-run health care. Remember that when health care becomes political, the politically powerful — like members of Congress, including Sanders — and the well-connected will still get the care they want or need. Sanders won’t have to wait for care; you will.