# Bernie Sanders Wants To Use Democrats’ Midterm Victory To Expand Medicare. Has He Looked at Europe?

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/bernie-sanders-wants-to-use-democrats-midterm-victory-to-expand-medicare-has-he-looked-at-europe/
- Published: 2026-11-09T14:45:11+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-09T17:57:33+00:00
- Original publisher: Reason (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://reason.com/2026/11/09/bernie-sanders-wants-to-use-democrats-midterm-victory-to-expand-medicare-has-he-looked-at-europe/
- Topics: Elections, Europe, Government, Politics, World

## Key points

- Sanders wants to lower Medicare eligibility to 55.
- The article points to long waits in Britain and France.
- It argues expanded public healthcare could strain budgets.

## Summary

Bernie Sanders says Democrats should use their midterm victory to expand Medicare, beginning by lowering eligibility to age 55 and covering dental, vision and hearing care, as well as children up to 19. He argues that healthcare is a human right and calls for Medicare for All; the article counters that European public systems show how broad coverage can come with long waits, unmet needs and pressure on public finances.

The article cites England’s 7.4 million-person hospital waiting list in August and says the 18-week treatment target has not been met for more than a decade. It reports that almost 40 per cent of emergency patients wait over four hours, and that 79,130 people were removed from the waiting list between September 2024 and August 2025 after dying before treatment. It also compares specialist waits: 42 per cent of Americans waited at least a month in 2023, against 62 per cent in Britain and 65 per cent in France; the article acknowledges that the US system is dysfunctional and expensive.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.