Sanders in 1987: ‘Astronomical’ Cost of Single-Payer ‘Would Bankrupt the Nation’

Sanders in 1987: ‘Astronomical’ Cost of Single-Payer ‘Would Bankrupt the Nation’ (The Washington Free Beacon)

A video from 1987 shows Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) has not always considered single-payer health care a slam dunk for progressive reformers.

Sanders said Medicaid for every American "would bankrupt the nation" while he was mayor of Burlington, Vermont, in a clip posted by the NTK Network. Speaking with physician Milton Terris on his local television show "Bernie Speaks with the Community," Sanders discussed the possibility of implementing single-payer health care in the U.S.

"You want to guarantee that all people have access to health care as you do in Canada," Sanders said.