Heritage Expert: Government-Run Health Care Bill Would Eliminate Americans’ Freedoms

WASHINGTON, Feb. 28 -- The Heritage Foundation issued the following statement:

With the expected introduction today of a Medicare for All bill, the Heritage Foundation's Marie Fishpaw, director of domestic policy studies, had the following response.

"The American people deserve more access to higher-quality, lower-cost health care. We should be able to keep the plans we like and the doctors we trust. Government-run health care does the exact opposite.

"With this legislation, the Left acknowledges that Obamacare failed but now demands a government takeover of our health care system.

"The national anxiety created by Obamacare--which resulted in massive premium increases, higher health care costs, and fewer coverage options--will not be solved by doubling down on government control.

"Other countries with government-run health care have experienced frustrating wait times for basic medical care and sometimes dangerous delays in critical treatments and surgeries. We also know that government control over health care would require crushing individual tax increases, only to be trapped in an inferior system with no option to escape.

"Instead of putting government bureaucrats in charge of our health care, we should empower the people. The Health Care Choices Proposal makes a down payment toward a commitment of reducing health care costs and expanding health care options and innovations. Americans should be in charge of their health care decisions and dollars--not the government or insurers."