Bernie Sanders Quotes
When I talk about democratic socialist, I am talking about Medicare, a single payer health care system for the elderly. And in my view, we should expand that concept to all people. I believe that everybody in this country should be entitled to health care as a right.
Sanders, Bernie. "Remarks on Democratic Socialism in the United States." Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. 19 Nov. 2015. Address.
In 1955 Jonas Salk invented his polio vaccine. A bill was introduced in Congress to provide the vaccine free to all children:. At the time, very conservative politicians like Hobby, wanted no connection between the government and the health and medical system other than what the military did. What was ironic and made Hobby's view all the more unpopular was the fact that Dr. Salk, refused to patent his vaccine and gave it free to all. (See {628275}.) The only cost that was required was for the small amout that had to be paid to the manufacturers to produce the vaccine. The the government cost was very small.
A single payer system for health insurance saves an enormous amount of money—15 to 20 percent of all health payments made under all health insurance. However, this quotation from a leading Republican disclosed a split in the Republican Party. Many really would like the many billions of dollars that would be saved every year by having one organization pay all health insurance bills as Medicare did, but the large insurance companies, major contributors to Republicans, of course did not want to compete for the single payer where most would lose their administrative overhead and profits from the existing inefficient system. So austerity, normally a strong Republican principle, gave way to the profits of an important Republican contributor base.
There were many countries whose laws proclaimed that health care was a right but could not deliver the health care to many of its citizens. However, every developed country except the United States considered health care a right and delivered health care to its people. The large majority of U. S. citizens received good health care but not as a right.
Bernard Sanders is an American politician who has served as the junior United States senator from Vermont since 2007 and as U.S. Representative for the state's at-large congressional district from 1991 to 2007. He is the longest-serving independent in U.S. congressional history, although he has a close relationship with the Democratic Party, having caucused with House and Senate Democrats for most of his congressional career. Sanders unsuccessfully sought the Democratic Party nomination for president of the United States in 2016 and 2020, finishing in second place in both campaigns. Before his election to Congress, he was mayor of Burlington, Vermont.
