5 Policies that Set Bernie Sanders Apart

Bernie Sanders has made waves this primary season through his revolutionary message of transforming America. Here are the policies that are going to deliver his revolution, and why they’re the best.

1. Medicare for All

• His flagship policy, Medicare for All is all about increasing the accessibility, affordability, and quality of American healthcare. America currently pays more for healthcare than nearly every other developed country and has some of the worst health outcomes with millions of people uninsured and under insured. This is because we have a private healthcare system that prioritizes profits over people. Medicare for All is proposing expanding Medicare to everyone over 25 through a four-year transition period that will eliminate the private insurance industry and bring the cost of healthcare, car insurance and prescription drugs down for everybody.
• His competitors are proposing improvements to the current system and/or a Medicare public option that people have the choice to opt, and in some cases, buy their way in. The issue with this is that it will not eliminate private insurance, which is where billions of dollars is wasted every year and will cost more than Medicare for All. A public option would also be ineffective because the poor and sick would be the first to opt in, eventually leading to failure. You can find more details on Medicare for All here.

2. Green New Deal

• While Bernie didn’t write this bill, the Green New Deal has become a major part of his policy platform. The Green New Deal essentially calls for committees in Congress to propose a pathway to 100% renewable energy by 2030. The Green New Deal has been backed by countless scientists and is the only realistic way to prevent our planet from becoming uninhabitable within our lifetime. The Green New Deal has come under intense attacks from the energy industry, as it is an existential threat to their profit model. The Green New Deal has enough support across the nation to pass, but currently only Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Tom Steyer have promised to push for it under their administration.
• What sets Bernie apart is that he has taken it even further, calling for the world to set aside their differences and pool their resources to fight climate change while also proposing the most radical climate policy of any candidate. You can find details on the Green New Deal here.

3. College for All

• College for All is exactly as it sounds, using a two-pronged approach. First, College for All would eliminate all student debt through an executive order. This would boost the economy and improve the lives of countless citizens. Next, it would call for publicly funded state universities that are free to attend, in addition to making trade schools and apprenticeships free as well. It would also invest $1.3 billion every year in private, non-profit historically black colleges and universities and minority-serving institutions. There’s a lot more in the plan, but that’s the spark notes version.
• The only criticism leveled at it, namely by Pete Buttigieg, is that it would also cover the cost of the ultra-rich if they wanted to go to a state school. However, most ultra-rich kids go to private institutions and even if they decided to go to a state school, they would pay for their tuition in taxes, the same way we fund roads, libraries, and other public goods. So far Elizabeth Warren is the only other major contender for the nomination to release a similar plan, but her recent back-stepping from other progressive policies make progressives nervous that she’s going to compromise. You can learn more here.

4. Housing for All

• Notice a trend here? Bernie Sanders has released a massive plan to end the housing crisis and give power back to tenants. Housing for All calls for investing $2.5 trillion to build nearly 10 million permanently affordable housing units. It’s also proposing to protect tenants by implementing a national rent control standard, a “just-cause” requirement for evictions, and ensuring the right to counsel in housing disputes. The plan also calls for greater equity in housing in other ways and is the only plan of its’ kind. You can find out more here.

5. Justice and Safety for All

• Last but not least, this plan calls to end for-profit greed in our criminal justice system, top to bottom by: by banning for-profit prisons and detention centers, ending cash bail, and making prison and jail communications, re-entry, diversion and treatment programs fee-free. It also calls to ensure due process and right to counsel by vastly increasing funding for public defenders and creating a federal formula to ensure populations have a minimum number of public defenders to meet their needs. Finally, it will cut the national prison population in half and end mass incarceration by abolishing the death penalty, three strikes laws, and mandatory minimum sentences, as well as expanding the use of alternatives to detention.
• This is another plan that doesn’t have a rival and is the most progressive criminal justice policy ever proposed. You can learn more here.

Around 5% of the Larimer County population is uninsured, with countless other under-insured or going into debt to pay medical bills. While this is smaller than the national average, many students also struggle with accessibility to high quality healthcare if the health center is out of network or they don’t have adequate transportation. With the burden of healthcare taken off the backs of college students and families, the Larimer county community stands to benefit greatly from the passage of Medicare for All.