Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent who aligns with Democrats, is once more advocating for his key healthcare proposal, Medicare for All. This time, new research backs his initiative. As the ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, Sanders issued a statement following a Yale University study. The study concluded that his legislation could save 114,000 lives annually and reduce national healthcare spending by over $1 trillion each year.
“This study confirms what we have known for years: Medicare for All saves lives and saves money,” Sanders stated. “It would cost $1 trillion less than our current dysfunctional system.” The proposal gains traction within the Democratic Party, fueled by Democratic Socialists of America-aligned and progressive candidates who have recently embraced the policy in their primary campaigns.
Recent Democratic primary victories have given Sanders and the progressive movement renewed vigor for Medicare for All. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani supported three progressive congressional candidates who won in June. In Colorado, Melat Kiros defeated experienced Representative Diana DeGette. In Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed, with support from Sanders and Mamdani, secured a victory in the Senate primary against Representative Haley Stevens, emphasizing Medicare for All in his campaign.
In the key U.S. Senate race in Maine, populist candidate Troy Jackson has also focused on this healthcare policy in his campaign against Republican Senator Susan Collins. Although Sanders has pushed various versions in the Senate over nearly a decade without success, he remains committed. In 2017, he introduced the Medicare for All Act with 16 Democratic co-sponsors, but it didn’t pass. A similar attempt followed in 2019 and again in 2022. Most recently, in April 2025, Sanders introduced bill S. 1506, which remains stalled in the Senate Finance Committee.
Becker’s Payer Issues, a trade publication, highlighted that Sanders’ yearly appeal for a universal healthcare system continues to languish in committee, as it has done in every Congress since he first proposed it. Instead, centrist Democrats have pursued smaller-scale measures, such as the public option known as the CHOICE Act.
Findings from the Recent Yale Study
The Yale University research, led by epidemiologist Alison Galvani, found that Medicare for All could reduce U.S. healthcare spending by nearly 20%. The anticipated savings come from reducing drug costs, eliminating bureaucratic waste, combating fraudulent billing, and ensuring fair reimbursement to providers.
Researchers estimate the plan could prevent 114,000 deaths each year, including over 33,000 among the uninsured and over 20,000 related to coverage losses from Republican policies. A prior study by Galvani, published in The Lancet in 2020, suggested an earlier plan version would save around 68,000 lives and $450 billion annually.
Not all studies share this conclusion. A 2018 analysis by Charles Blahous from the Mercatus Center found Sanders’ plan could increase federal health spending by $32.6 trillion over a decade. Sanders’ office criticized this study as biased, focusing on a line claiming that overall national health spending might decline by $2 trillion over ten years under the most generous assumptions, even as federal spending rose sharply.
Public Opinion on Medicare for All
Despite being labeled radical by some critics, polls indicate support for government involvement in healthcare is rising. Gallup reported that 64% of U.S. adults in November 2025 believe the federal government should ensure healthcare coverage, the highest percentage since 2007. Pew Research Center also noted a similar trend, with 66% of adults agreeing, primarily driven by Republicans.
A November 2025 survey by Data for Progress found 65% of likely voters supporting a Medicare for All system that would replace much of private insurance, including 78% of Democrats, 71% of independents, and 49% of Republicans, even after being presented with potential downsides.
However, survey wording affects results significantly. A Tavern Research survey in July 2026 revealed significantly lower support for a version replacing private insurance entirely and funded by increased taxes. Still, the survey showed 70% of respondents preferred retaining their current healthcare plan.
Overall, polls reflect a growing desire for government intervention in healthcare and majority support for Medicare for All when the wording is favorable. Yet, support declines sharply when the plan is described as entirely removing private insurance, as Sanders proposes.
Sanders continues to argue for Medicare for All by comparing the U.S. with other countries. He noted that if every major country can provide healthcare to all, with better outcomes and lower per capita spending, it’s unreasonable to think the U.S. cannot achieve the same.
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