Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) is ramping up his call for bold healthcare reform, warning that primary care is on the verge of collapse across the United States.
In a recent message shared with his followers, Sanders stressed the urgency of supporting the community health centers that serve millions of low-income and working-class Americans.
“In the midst of a broken health care system, primary health care is collapsing,” Sanders said.
“All Americans, when they’re sick, should be able to see a doctor. We must increase funding NOW for the community health centers who serve 32 million low income and working class Americans.”
A Healthcare System in Crisis
In a letter to Vermonters and an op-ed published in The Guardian, Sanders painted a stark picture of a system he says is failing its people.
“The American healthcare system is broken. It is outrageously expensive. It is horrifically cruel,” he wrote.
Sanders pointed out that the U.S. spends far more per person on healthcare than any other country, nearly $14,570 annually.
That’s almost double what countries like Japan, the U.K., and Canada spend.
Yet, the outcomes are worse: millions remain uninsured or underinsured, and the U.S. continues to have the highest infant mortality rate among wealthy nations.
“Over 85 million Americans are either uninsured or under-insured,” Sanders wrote.
“Some 68,000 people in our country die each year because they can’t afford to go to a doctor when they should, and more than half a million Americans go bankrupt due to medically related debt.”
He also highlighted that nearly half of cancer patients in the U.S. deplete their life savings within two years of their diagnosis.
Not Enough Doctors, Not Enough Access
Even for those who have health insurance, Sanders says access to care is a growing problem.
“Tens of millions of people live in communities where they cannot find a doctor, a dentist or a psychologist even when they have insurance,” he said.
Long wait times and a shortage of providers are common, and many Americans can’t afford the prescriptions they need.
Sanders argues that community health centers are a key part of the solution. These centers provide basic healthcare services to people regardless of their ability to pay, often serving rural and underserved areas.
Without urgent federal support, he warns, these clinics may not survive.
Medicare for All Back on the Table
To tackle the crisis more broadly, Sanders has reintroduced his Medicare for All legislation in the Senate, with Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) introducing the House version.
The proposal would cover all Americans with no premiums, deductibles, or co-pays and include dental, vision, hearing, prescription drugs, and home care.
“Our legislation would provide comprehensive healthcare coverage to all without out-of-pocket expenses and, unlike the current system, it would provide full freedom of choice regarding healthcare providers,” Sanders wrote.
He added: “No more insurance premiums, no more deductibles, no more co-payments, no more filling out endless forms and fighting with insurance companies.”
Sanders says the plan would allow Americans to switch jobs without worrying about losing health insurance. And despite its sweeping coverage, he argues it would actually cost less than the current system.
“Would a Medicare-for-all healthcare system be expensive? Yes. But… it would be significantly LESS expensive than our current dysfunctional system,” Sanders wrote, citing a Congressional Budget Office estimate that the plan would save $650 billion a year by cutting administrative waste and eliminating corporate profits from the equation.
A Political Fight Ahead
Sanders didn’t hold back in criticizing opponents of reform. He accused Republicans of trying to “make a bad healthcare situation even worse” by slashing Medicaid in order to fund tax breaks for the wealthy.
He also said defending the Affordable Care Act isn’t enough: “We cannot simply defend the status quo in healthcare… while premiums, deductibles, co-payments and the price of medicine has soared.”
For Sanders, the fight for Medicare for All is about more than just policy, it’s about changing the country’s priorities.
“The time is NOW to declare that healthcare in our country is a right and not a privilege,” he wrote.
“The time is NOW to stand up to the greed and power of special interests who make huge profits off of a cruel and broken system.”
With 15 Senate cosponsors already backing his bill, Sanders is hoping to build momentum for what he calls a “transformative moment” in American healthcare.
“This is America. We can do it,” he said.