Dems’ $32 Trillion Government Health Care Takeover

More Democrats Embracing Bernie Sanders’ Government Health Care Takeover Plan

“Democrats are increasingly committing to support single-payer healthcare, amid … pressure from their party’s left-wing base. What was once considered only a progressive talking point has gained traction as more Democratic candidates have been willing to embrace government-funded healthcare on the campaign trail and more House members have been signing onto the idea.” (“Single-Payer Healthcare Gains Traction With Dems,” The Hill, 7/09/2017)

• “Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) championed the idea … and he’ll introduce his single-payer plan once the debate over ObamaCare ends. Other senators — such as Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) … — are getting on board … Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), who faces a tough reelection in a state won by President Trump, said she’s a ‘maybe’ on Sanders’s plan but ‘anticipates’ supporting it, according to The Capital Times.” (“Single-Payer Healthcare Gains Traction With Dems,” The Hill, 7/09/2017)

• “In the House, Rep. John Conyers Jr.’s (D-Mich.) Medicare for All bill has already netted 113 co-sponsors — nearly double the number of co-sponsors the legislation garnered last congressional session.” (“Single-Payer Healthcare Gains Traction With Dems,” The Hill, 7/09/2017)

THE WASHINGTON POST: “Obamacare looks shaky … This, in turn, has rekindled calls on the left to create a European-style ‘single-payer’ system, in which the government directly pays for every American’s health care.” (Editorial, “Single-Payer Health Care Would Have An Astonishingly High Price Tag,” The Washington Post, 6/18/2017)

• “Adding a government-run insurance option... has long been a goal of liberals.” (“Senate Dems Unveil New Public Option Push For Obamacare,” The Hill, 9/15/2016)

Government Plan ‘Would Have An Astonishingly High Price Tag’ – ‘$32 Trillion’

THE WASHINGTON POST: “[T]he government’s price tag would be astonishing. When Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) proposed a ‘Medicare for all’ health plan in his presidential campaign, the nonpartisan Urban Institute figured that it would raise government spending by $32 trillion over 10 years, requiring a tax increase so huge that even the democratic socialist Mr. Sanders did not propose anything close to it.” (Editorial, “Single-Payer Health Care Would Have An Astonishingly High Price Tag,” The Washington Post, 6/18/2017)

“To realize the single-payer dream of coverage for all and big savings, medical industry players, including doctors, would likely have to get paid less and patients would have to accept different standards of access and comfort. There is little evidence most Americans are willing to accept such tradeoffs.” (Editorial, “Single-Payer Health Care Would Have An Astonishingly High Price Tag,” The Washington Post, 6/18/2017)

How Much Is $32 Trillion ($32,000,000,000,000)?

It’s nearly equal to the COMBINED size of the Gross Domestic Products (GDPs) of NINE of the top ten world economies following the U.S. in 2016: China, Japan, Germany, the UK, France, India, Italy, Brazil, and Canada. (“GDP (Current US$),” The World Bank, Accessed 7/10/2017)

• It’s about TWICE the size of the ENTIRE GDP of the European Union in 2016. (“GDP (current US$),” The World Bank, Accessed 7/10/2017)

• It’s more than NINE TIMES the ENTIRE economy of Germany in 2016. (“GDP (current US$),” The World Bank, Accessed 7/10/2017)

It’s over EIGHT TIMES the ENTIRE spending of the United States budget in 2016. (“Net Budget Authority By Function, Category, And Program,” Analytical Perspectives, FY 2018 Budget, Office Of Management And Budget)

• It nearly totals to nearly three decades of U.S. 2016 spending on Medicare, Medicaid, and other health programs. (“Net Budget Authority By Function, Category, And Program,” Analytical Perspectives, FY 2018 Budget, Office Of Management And Budget)

• It nearly totals to 50 years of total U.S. 2016 spending on national defense. (“Net Budget Authority By Function, Category, And Program,” Analytical Perspectives, FY 2018 Budget, Office Of Management And Budget)

“The thickness of a single one dollar bills measures .0043 inches or .0000000679 miles…. The height of a stack of 1,000,000,000,000 (one trillion) one dollar bills measures 67,866 miles. This would reach more than one fourth the way from the earth to the moon.” (“Grasping Large Numbers,” The Endowment for Human Development, Accessed 7/10/2017)

• A stack of $32 trillion worth of $1 bills would more than EIGHT TIMES the distance between the earth and the moon.

“The length of a single one dollar bills measures 6.14 inches…. The length of 1,000,000,000,000 (one trillion) one dollar bills laid end-to-end measures 96,906,656 miles. This would exceed the distance from the earth to the sun.” (“Grasping Large Numbers,” The Endowment for Human Development, Accessed 7/10/2017)

• The length of 32 trillion $1 bills would exceed the distance from the Earth to NEPTUNE. (“How Far Is Each Planet From Earth? (Intermediate),” Ask An Astronomer, Cornell University Website, 3/31/2016)