A think tank’s assessment of Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s (D., Mass.) single-payer health care plan concluded that it would increase the federal deficit by $15 trillion over the next decade and lead to “soaring demand” for health care services.
In the report, Avik Roy of the Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity concluded that Warren’s proposed tax increases, including a potentially unconstitutional wealth tax, would raise $9 trillion less than she forecasted. He also found that the elimination of patient premiums, copays, and deductibles would spike demand for health care services and, by extension, health spending.
“The Warren plan does nothing to increase the supply of health care providers to keep pace with this soaring demand,” Roy wrote. “Again, those whose incomes or wealth are below the U.S. median will have the most difficulty accessing care in such an environment.”
The report is yet another analysis countering Warren’s rosy claims that her $20 trillion health care overhaul would not raise middle-class taxes “a penny” and would deliver “high quality coverage for everybody and dramatically lowers costs for middle class families.”
In the report, Roy examined other industrialized countries which fund their government health care systems through taxes on consumption. Since Warren had promised not to raise middle-class taxes or costs to fund her plan, Roy wrote, the senator had developed a series of other tax increases that would have far harsher effects on the economy. – READ MORE