Medicare for All: A Citizen's Guide

A citizen's guide to America's most debated policy-in-waiting

There are few issues as consequential in the lives of Americans as healthcare--and few issues more politically vexing. Every single American will interact with the healthcare system at some point in their lives, and most people will find that interaction less than satisfactory. And yet for every dollar spent in our economy, 18 cents go to healthcare. What are we paying for, exactly?

Healthcare policy is notoriously complex, but what Americans want is simple: good healthcare that's easy to use and doesn't break the bank. Polls show that a majority of Americans want the government to provide universal health coverage to all Americans.

What's less clear is how to get there.

Medicare for All is the leading proposal to achieve universal health coverage in America. But what is it exactly? How would it work? More importantly, is it practical or practicable?

This book goes beyond partisan talking points to offer a serious examination of how Medicare for All would transform the way we give, receive, and pay for healthcare in America.

Abdul El-Sayed, MD, DPhil is physician, epidemiologist, and healthcare reform activist, and former Health Director for the City of Detroit. He ran for Governor of Michigan in 2018 on a single-payer platform and advised on the 2020 Democratic platform as a Healthcare Unity Task Force appointee. He is the host of the podcast "America Dissected" on Crooked Media.

Micah Johnson, MD is a physician who has advised on healthcare policy as a congressional and White House aide. He is a Resident Physician in Internal Medicine at the Brigham & Women's Hospital.