i watched the second of the debates last night.
on one side of this was andrew yang who would replace all government programs with $1000 a month per person. and immediately all prices would rise to compensate, erasing the value of that money.
on the other side was bernie sanders who’s plan would actually keep costs down because - as you say - government has the power to negotiate price in ways individuals cant. ( and fwiw would “let you keep your doctor” because everyone would be in the same program. )
in the middle were people who want to offer a public option. which pretty much guarantees not enough people will sign up to make the costs viable. would continue to keep good healthcare reserved for a small percentage of americans. and would likely force many who choose the public option to “lose their doctor”.
and yet, sanders didn’t do too well i think. he’s arguing on moral grounds - but he doesn’t try to counter the myths that people use to support the alternatives to single payer. many people think socialism is always bad because they still think capitalism is always good.
( and, different topic: given a clear moment to say something about racial justice he pivoted and talked about millionaires and the middle class. sigh do better bernie. )
