Do you support or oppose a government-run healthcare system (often called "Medicare for All")?

Background

Medicare for All refers to proposals that would replace the current mix of private and public health insurance with a single government-run system covering all Americans. The most prominent version, reintroduced in 2025 by Representative Pramila Jayapal in the House and Senator Bernie Sanders in the Senate, would provide comprehensive coverage including primary care, prescription drugs, dental, vision, and long-term care, funded primarily through taxes rather than premiums. The debate has intensified as health care costs continue to climb sharply. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, the average premium for employer-provided insurance rose a cumulative 26 percent from 2020 through 2025, and The Century Foundation reports that Americans across nearly all types of coverage face premium increases several times greater than inflation in 2026. A November 2025 Pew Research Center survey found that 66 percent of U.S. adults believe the federal government has a responsibility to ensure all Americans have health care coverage, though they are divided on how to achieve it, with 35 percent favoring a single national insurance system and 31 percent preferring the current mix of private and public programs.

Supporters argue that a single-payer system would guarantee universal coverage, eliminate insurance-related medical debt, and reduce administrative waste. A Congressional Budget Office analysis found that under scenarios most resembling current Medicare for All legislation, national health expenditures could actually decrease, largely through administrative simplification, noting that traditional Medicare's overhead is roughly 2 percent of revenue compared to about 12 percent for private insurers. Opponents counter that the federal cost would be enormous, with the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimating that Medicare for All could increase federal spending by 25 to 35 trillion dollars over a decade, requiring substantial new taxes on individuals and businesses. Critics also warn that eliminating private insurance could reduce choice, lower provider payment rates, and lead to longer wait times. The Mercatus Center has noted that the CBO's own analysis projects increased congestion in the health care system and greater unmet demand under a single-payer structure.

What is at stake affects virtually every American. The United States currently spends more per capita on health care than any other wealthy nation, yet roughly 29 million people remain uninsured and health outcomes on measures like life expectancy lag behind peer countries. A Data for Progress poll from November 2025 found that 58 percent of likely voters still support Medicare for All even after hearing arguments about higher taxes and the elimination of most private insurance, while a poll commissioned by Americans for Prosperity found that 62 percent of Americans preferred a market-based personal option over a single-payer approach. The outcome of this debate will shape how hundreds of millions of Americans access and pay for health care, with implications for federal budgets, the insurance industry, medical providers, and the everyday finances of working families.