The head of Medicare and Medicaid said Tuesday that “Medicare for all,” the left-wing proposal to expand Medicare to all Americans, was too expensive and could jeopardize the popular entitlement program.
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma’s comments at the Atlantic Festival in Washington were the latest broadside launched at “Medicare for all” by the Trump administration. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar carried out a similar attack last week.
Verma said that “Medicare for all” is “not something that we can afford.” She said that putting more people onto Medicare “will threaten the security of seniors.”
“The Medicare program is intended and designed for seniors and we need to do everything we can to strengthen the program for seniors,” she said.
[Also read: Obama endorses ‘Medicare for All’ in campaign rollout]
Verma cited several estimates that show the policy would increase federal budget commitments by $32 trillion over a decade.
“Medicare for all” has gained traction among Democrats ahead of the 2018 midterm elections.
Proponents of the plan argue that it would save money for Americans thanks to less paperwork and less bureaucracy.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who touted the policy during his presidential run as a Democrat in 2016, has said that the reform would lower healthcare costs because the government could directly negotiate with drugmakers to lower prices overall.
