Jayapal and Sanders Respond to Elon Musk’s Query on Healthcare Costs
Two prominent critics of the profit-driven healthcare system in the U.S., responded warmly to tech mogul Elon Musk’s recent comments criticizing the nation’s excessive healthcare expenditures. They encouraged Musk, who might become a key player in the upcoming Trump administration, to support the Medicare for All initiative.
Musk’s social media activity caught the attention of Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Representative Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), who both have advocated for extending Medicare to every American citizen. Last year, they proposed legislation to this effect, continuing their push against the for-profit healthcare model in favor of a government-operated system, akin to those in other developed nations.
Musk questioned, via a post featuring a graph from the impartial Peter G. Peterson Foundation, whether Americans were receiving fair value for their healthcare spending. The graph highlighted that the U.S. administrative costs per capita in 2020 were $1,055—significantly higher than those in Germany, Canada, and the UK.
Sanders reiterated his long-held critique of the U.S.’s $4.5 trillion healthcare system, emphasizing the refusal of private health insurers to cover care costs and the hefty out-of-pocket expenses—averaging $1,142 annually—that Americans face. “We squander hundreds of billions annually on healthcare administration costs, which enrich insurance company CEOs and wealthy shareholders while leaving 85 million Americans uninsured or underinsured,” Sanders stated. “Healthcare is a human right. We need Medicare for All.”
Jayapal echoed this sentiment, pointing out her proposed solution to the U.S.’s soaring healthcare expenses: “It’s called Medicare for All.”
Musk has been recommended by President-elect Donald Trump to head a newly proposed federal agency named the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). While Sanders has shown some agreement with the agency’s goal to “eliminate wasteful spending,” particularly highlighting its potential application in the Department of Defense, which has failed its spending audits repeatedly, he has also expressed strong criticism of the economic practices that have contributed to Musk becoming the wealthiest individual globally, with a net worth of $343.8 billion.
Progressive commentator David Sirota of The Lever last month suggested that DOGE could be instrumental in dismantling the country’s extensive health insurance bureaucracy in favor of Medicare for All. He referenced a 2020 report by the Republican-led Congressional Budget Office, which estimated that a government-run healthcare program could save the nation approximately $650 billion annually.
Sirota pointed out that such savings could be partly due to the lower administrative costs of Medicare, which are around 2%, compared to the 17% administrative costs associated with the profit-driven private health insurance sector.
The discussion around Musk’s comments comes amid broader conversations about the greed inherent in the for-profit insurance industry. The recent murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson sparked further outrage over the U.S. healthcare system. Following public backlash, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield reversed a decision to discontinue coverage for surgical anesthesia if a procedure exceeded a set duration. The American Society of Anesthesiologists warned that ceasing full payment to doctors managing pain for complex surgeries would result in patients facing steep out-of-pocket expenses.
National Nurses United, which supports a government-run healthcare system, has urged Musk and other supporters of the widely favored Medicare for All proposal to “join the movement to secure Medicare for All.” They stressed that “the most efficiently operated healthcare systems globally are consistently those that are single-payer systems.”
Similar Posts
- ABC Anchor Slammed for Doubting Cost-Saving Medicare for All’s Future
- 62% of Americans Demand Government Guarantees Universal Health Coverage!
- Sanders Champions Medicare for All to Make America Healthy Again!
- Republican Shutdown Looms: Dems Firmly Reject Trump’s Spending Bill
- Americans Outraged at Health Insurance Grinches Stealing Money and Lives!
An economic reporter, Dax Everly breaks down financial trends and their impact on Americans’ daily lives.