WASHINGTON (AP) – The most ambitious “repeal and replace” health care plan from a presidential candidate comes from Sen. Bernie Sanders, not from a Republican.
The Vermont independent who’s seeking the Democratic nomination is pushing a “single-payer” plan. It’s loosely modeled on how health care is financed in Canada and most of Western Europe.
Basically it means putting almost all the $3.2 trillion-a-year U.S. health care system in the hands of the federal government, with states acting as administrative subcontractors.
Sanders would eliminate things such as insurance premiums, deductibles and copays. In their place would be taxes – something that few people like.
He would incorporate Medicare and Medicaid into the new system, promising that patients would have no gaps in coverage.
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