"We encourage Congress to move forward with implementing a public financed Medicare for All plan to achieve the equitable and affordable universal health care system that the American people need."

In advance of today’s hearing at the House Budget Committee on Medicare for All, more than 200 economists have written an open letter to Congress endorsing Medicare for All as the solution to our greedy healthcare problems.

“It’s a sure winner – except for the profiteers,” says professor of economics Jeffrey Sachs, who’s name is one of the 209 signatories.

Citing evidence on how other countries around the world have been successful with publicly finances healthcare systems, the letter states:

Evidence from around the world demonstrates that publicly financed healthcare systems result in improved health outcomes, lower costs, and greater equity. As of 2017, the U.S. spent $3.3 trillion annually on healthcare. This equaled 17 percent of U.S. GDP, with average spending at about $10,000 per person. By contrast, Germany, France, Japan, Canada, the U.K., Australia, Spain and Italy spent between 9 – 11 percent of GDP on health care, averaging $3,400 to $5,700 per person. Yet average health outcomes in all of these countries are superior to those in the United States. In all of these countries, the public sector is predominant in financing heath care.



“Medicare for All will give us a system already proven in other countries: much lower costs with less hassle and worry,” says Saches.

The letter concludes, “We encourage Congress to move forward with implementing a public financed Medicare for All plan to achieve the equitable and affordable universal health care system that the American people need.”

Today the House Budget Committee will hold a congressional hearing on single-payer healthcare to discuss Rep. Pramila Jayapal’s Medicare for All Act of 2019. The bill already has 108 co-sponsors,

Read the full letter below:

As economists, we understand that a single-payer “Medicare for All” health insurance system for the U.S. can finance good-quality care for all U.S. residents as a basic right while still significantly reducing overall health care spending relative to the current exorbitant and wasteful system. Health care is not a service that follows standard market rules. It should therefore be provided as a public good.

Evidence from around the world demonstrates that publicly financed health care systems result in improved health outcomes, lower costs, and greater equity. As of 2017, the U.S. spent $3.3 trillion annually on health care. This equaled 17 percent of U.S. GDP, with average spending at about $10,000 per person. By contrast, Germany, France, Japan, Canada, the U.K., Australia, Spain and Italy spent between 9 – 11 percent of GDP on health care, averaging $3,400 to $5,700 per person. Yet average health outcomes in all of these countries are superior to those in the United States. In all of these countries, the public sector is predominant in financing health care.

For these reasons, the time is now to create a universal, single-payer, Medicare for All health care system in the United States.

Public financing for health is not a matter of raising new money for healthcare, but of reducing total healthcare outlays and distributing payments more equitably and efficiently. Implementing a unified single-payer system would reduce administrative costs and eliminate individuals’ and employers’ insurance premiums and out-of-pocket costs. If combined with public control of drug prices and a dramatically simplified global budgeting system, a sensible Medicare financing system would reduce healthcare costs while guaranteeing access to comprehensive care and financial security to all.

As such, we support publicly and equitably financed health care through a Medicare for All system at the Federal level, as described in H.R. 1384 and S. 1129. We encourage Congress to move forward with implementing a public financed Medicare for All plan to achieve the equitable and affordable universal health care system that the American people need. Signed,

Randy Albelda, Professor of Economics, University of Massachusetts Boston Carolyn B. Aldana, Professor Emeritus, California State University, San Bernardino 3 Mona Ali, Associate Professor of Economics, SUNY New Paltz Larry Allen, Professor of Economics, Lamar University Jack Amariglio, Emeritus Professor of Economics, Merrimack College Eileen Appelbaum, Co-Director and Senior Economist, Center for Economic and Policy Research Peter Arno, Senior Fellow & Director Health Policy Research, Political Economy Research Institute, University of Massachusetts, Amherst Michael Ash, Professor of Economics & Public Policy, University of Massachusetts Amherst Glen Atkinson, Emeritus Professor of Economics, University of Nevada, Reno M V Lee Badgett, Professor of Economics, University of Massachusetts Amherst Ron Baiman, Assistant Professor of Economics, Benedictine University Dean Baker, Senior Economist, Center for Economic and Policy Research Radhika Balakrishnan, Professor, Rutgers University Nina Banks, Associate Professor of Economics, Bucknell University David Barkin, Distinguished Professor, Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana Charles Barone, Professor Emeritus, Dickinson College Deepankar Basu, Associate Professor, University of Massachusetts Amherst Lourdes Beneria, Professor Emerita, Cornell University Peter H. Bent, Assistant Professor, American University of Paris Suzanne Bergeron, Professor, University of Michigan Dearborn Cyrus Bina, Distinguished Research Professor of Economics, University of Minnesota (Morris Campus), and Fellow, Economists for Peace and Security Josh Bivens, Research Director, Economic Policy Institute Robert A. Blecker, Professor of Economics, American University Peter Bohmer, Faculty in Economics and Political Economy, The Evergreen State College Howard Botwinick, Associate Professor of Economics, SUNY Cortland Roger Even Bove, Ph.D. in Economics, West Chester University (retired) James K. Boyce, Professor Emeritus, University of Massachusetts Amherst Robert Brenner, Director, Center for Social Theory and Comparative History, UCLA Michael Brün, Instructor, Heartland Community College Antonio Callari, Professor, Franklin and Marshall College Al Campbell, Emeritus Professor of Economics, University of Utah Martha Campbell, Associate Professor of Economics, Emeritus, SUNY Potsdam Jim Campen, Professor of Economics, Emeritus, University of Massachusetts Boston José Caraballo, Professor, University of Puerto Rico Scott Carter, Professor of Economics, The University of Tulsa James F Casey, Associate Professor of Economics, Washington and Lee University John Dennis Chasse, Professor Emeritus, SUNY College at Brockport Robert Chernomas, Professor of Economics, University of Manitoba Kimberly Christensen, Economics Professor, Sarah Lawrence College Douglas Cliggott, Lecturer, Economics, University of Massachusetts Nathaniel Cline, Associate Professor, University of Redlands Richard Cornwall, Professor Emeritus, Middlebury College James Crotty, Emeritus Professor, University of Massachusetts Dr. James Cypher, Professor of Economics, Universidad Autonoma de Zacatecas, Mexico, and Emeritus Professor, California State University Omar Dahi, Hampshire College Anita Dancs, Associate Professor of Economics, Western New England University Paul Davidson, Emeritus Professor Chair of Honor, University of Tennessee Charles Davis, Professor of Labor Studies, Indiana University Carmen Diana Deere, Distinguished Professor Emerita, University of Florida George DeMartino, Professor, JKSIS, University of Denver Firat Demir, Professor, University of Oklahoma James G. 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