Part 6/15:
Sanders’ plan includes expanding Medicare to cover everyone over the age of 18 within four years and adding benefits like dental, hearing aids, and vision coverage. Despite skepticism, he believes this transition is feasible, citing the successful implementation of Medicare in 1965, which covered 19 million seniors with far less technology than we have today.
He attributes the high costs of drugs to the lack of negotiation power of the U.S. government—unlike Canada and other nations that set fair prices—and the dominance of greed-driven corporations. He emphasizes that the fight to reduce pharmaceutical costs and ensure affordable medicine is integral to a just healthcare system.