Budget office warns of longer waits, less access under Medicare for All Act

The Congressional Budget Office on Wednesday released an analysis that warned a fully government-financed healthcare system could result in "increased wait times and reduced access to care" if there weren't enough providers to meet the increase in patient demand.

The analysis, published by Congress' nonpartisan agency, hedged throughout that much of the success of the system — which has been championed by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and backed by other Democratic candidates for president — would depend on the details of a plan and how quickly lawmakers act when problems emerge.

It did not contain an assessment about how much such a plan, known as "single payer," would cost the government, although it did predict government spending on healthcare "would increase substantially," while also potentially lowering administrative costs and eliminating other costs by doing away with the profits of private health insurers.

"The transition toward a single-payer system could be complicated, challenging, and potentially disruptive," the analysis said.

A price tag wasn't expected, but Republicans and centrist Democrats have warned that moving all healthcare coverage under the control of the federal government would lead to massive tax increases. They have also warned of less access to care, something that CBO analysts said could happen if the federal government did not work to increase the number of providers. With more people getting coverage, analysts expect a demand in healthcare services will also follow.
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