False Premise, False Promise: The Disastrous Reality of Medicare for All by Sally Pipes

March 1, 2020

On March 27, we will host author Sally Pipes at our Conservative Women’s Network luncheon co-hosted by the Heritage Foundation. Her newest book, False Premise, False Promise, makes a case against Medicare for All. Using evidence from government-run systems in Canada and the U.K., she explains how single-payer health care makes a litany of promises it can’t possibly keep. Her book, along with her many others, is a shocking account of our current health care system and the poor ways the left attempts to redesign it.

About the book…

American health care is at a crossroads. Health spending reached $3.5 trillion in 2017. Yet more than 27 million people remain uninsured. And it’s unclear if all that spending is buying higher-quality care.

Patients, doctors, insurers, and the government acknowledge that the status quo is unsustainable. America’s last attempt at health care reform―Obamacare―didn’t work. Nearly a decade after its passage, Democrats are calling for a government takeover of the nation’s health care system: Medicare for All.

Supporters of Medicare for All assert the right to health care, promising universal, high-quality care to all Americans at no cost. With a sales pitch like that, it’s no wonder the idea has broad support. Democrats, particularly progressive ones, hope to capitalize on this enthusiasm.

Here Sally C. Pipes makes a case against Medicare for All. Using evidence from government-run systems in Canada and the U.K. she explains how single-payer health care makes a litany of promises it can’t possibly keep.

Between unpacking the plans under consideration in Congress―including the real costs behind the claims―and detailing the horrors of single-payer care in other countries, Pipes highlights how Americans actually fare better than their peers in Canada and the U.K. on health outcomes. Included are heart-wrenching stories of the human costs of free, universal, government-run health care systems.

Pipes concludes with her vision for delivering the affordable, accessible, quality care the American people are looking for.

Discussion Questions

To your knowledge, what is the best line of strategy for conservatives to take in order to effectively battle the ebbing progression of Medicare for All rhetoric in the media?

Sally Pipes touches on many of the differences between the United States and countries with universal health care, and how such a system is not compatible with our economic system. What are some other reasons why Medicare for All wouldn’t be successful in the U.S.?

Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!