A KFF poll shows that two-thirds of Americans support Medicare for All, but this drops to 35% when told it could raise taxes or lead to delays in medical care. The article cites examples from England and Canada, where patients face long waiting times for treatment—over a year for some—and warns about the rise in medical assistance in dying (MAID) due to cost pressures. Sally C. Pipes argues that these systems reveal potential downsides of government-controlled healthcare, including financial burdens on families and ethical concerns.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-12,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Sally Pipes at the Washington Examiner reports on a recent KFF poll showing that two-thirds of Americans support "Medicare for All," the highest level since 2017. However, this support drops to only 24% when informed about potential delays in medical tests and treatments. The article highlights issues faced by government-controlled healthcare systems like those in England and Canada, where 6 million people are on waiting lists, with over 94,000 patients waiting longer than a year for treatment. In Canada, the median wait time from referral to specialist treatment is 28.6 weeks, and families pay an average of $21,115 in hidden costs despite the system's public funding. Pipes argues that such delays and financial burdens illustrate the human cost often overlooked by supporters of national health plans.
Written for “Medicare For All Debate” on 2026-10-12,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it -0.65, but every quote it verified points right, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score withheld for article 73739: score contradicts its own evidence · logged 2026-10-12
“Medicare for All” is enjoying a political resurgence.
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Medicare → enjoy → resurgence
A KFF poll released last week found that two-thirds of Americans support a national health plan — the highest level since the organization began asking about the idea in 2017.
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organization → release → 2017
But enthusiasm falls when Americans confront some of the trade-offs.
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Americans → fall → offs
Just 24% still support “Medicare for All” when told it could mean delays in medical tests and treatments, and 35% do so when told it could raise taxes.
uncertain
it → support → taxes
Putting Washington in charge of everyone’s healthcare would not make it free.
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it → put → healthcare
It would leave government officials to decide how to stretch finite taxpayer dollars across virtually unlimited demand.
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It → leave → demand
Waiting is one way government-controlled healthcare systems make the numbers add up.
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numbers → control → ?
At the end of March, about 6 million people in England were waiting for treatment through the National Health Service.
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people → wait → Service
In more than 94,000 cases, patients had already been waiting longer than a year.
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patients → wait → year
Canadians waited a median of 28.6 weeks from referral by a general practitioner to treatment by a specialist in 2025.
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Canadians → wait → 2025
The average Canadian family of four paid $21,115 in hidden taxes to sit on a waiting list.
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family → pay → list
Canada offers another, darker warning about the incentives government-run healthcare can create.
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healthcare → offer → incentives
Medical assistance in dying has become remarkably common north of the border.
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assistance → die → border
In 2024, 5.1% of people who died in Canada received MAID — roughly 1 in 20.
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who → die → 20
The program now extends to some people whose conditions are not terminal.
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conditions → extend → people
The granddaughter of 83-year-old Brigitte Stegemann told Fox News in September that her grandmother had previously rejected assisted death.
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grandmother → tell → death
According to her family, Stegemann broke down two days before the procedure after learning that the scheduled “medicine” would kill her and said she had “made a mistake.”
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she → accord → mistake
Two days later, she received MAID and died.
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she → receive → MAID
Canada’s Parliamentary Budget Officer estimated in 2020 that the expansion of MAID would reduce provincial healthcare costs by a net $62 million annually.
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expansion → estimate → million
That’s the danger of charging the government with paying for care and setting the rules that govern access to it.
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that → ’ → it
“Medicare for All” would put Washington in much the same position.
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Medicare → put → position
As costs mounted, officials would inevitably face pressure to limit spending.
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officials → mount → spending
The long waits in Britain and Canada show one way that pressure can affect patients.
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pressure → show → patients
Canada’s rapid embrace of assisted death offers a more disturbing warning.
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embrace → assist → warning
Americans should consider those consequences before embracing “Medicare for All.”
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Americans → consider → All
The promise of universal coverage sounds appealing.
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promise → sound → coverage
The experience of other countries suggests otherwise.
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experience → suggest → countries
Her latest book is The World’s Medicine Chest: How America Achieved Pharmaceutical Supremacy — and How to Keep It (Encounter 2025).
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America → achieve → Encounter
The Aporia
