McConnell: ‘Medicare for All’ is a raw deal for American people

“Medicare for All” is a “raw deal” for the American people and taxpayers, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said today during a plenary session at the AHA Annual Membership Meeting. He talked about how the Medicare for All proposals, which he called “Medicare for None,” would lead to more than 180 million Americans being “thrown off their private health plans that many of them like – no choices, no options, no alternatives.” He also cited estimates that the proposals could cost $32 trillion over 10 years and lead to tax increases. “It’s bad for patients and families, it’s bad for tax payers, and yes, this radical scheme would be serious bad news” for America’s hospitals, he said, emphasizing that it “would reduce payments to hospitals, further exacerbating the financial challenges you already face today rather than addressing them.”
 
For Republicans, McConnell said their health care priorities included preserving what works and fixing what doesn’t; strengthening the private, employer-provided coverage; strengthening Medicare Advantage; and giving states flexibility to implement Medicaid the right way.
 
In addition, McConnell talked about bipartisan health care efforts in recent years – including legislation to address the opioid crisis and the 21st Century Cures Act. He said bipartisan efforts are “the only recipe for real, tangible progress that the American people deserve.”