Table of Contents

Forewords by Bernie Sanders and Pramila Jayapal

Part I: Healthcare in America
1. Diagnosis
2. How We Got Here: A History of Health Reform in America

Part II: Policy
3. Medicare for All: The Fundamentals
4. Designing a Medicare for All Program
5. How to Pay for It
6. Medicare for All vs. Alternatives

PART III: Politics
7. We the People
8. For and Against
9. Stakeholders in Flux
10. Organizing vs. Advertising
11. Parting Thoughts

About the Author

Abdul El-Sayed, MD, DPhil, is a physician, epidemiologist, public health expert, and progressive activist. He rebuilt Detroit's Health Department after the City's bankruptcy as the youngest big-city health commissioner in a major US city. He ran for Governor of Michigan in 2018 on a state-level single-payer platform in a bid endorsed by Senator Bernie Sanders, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, The Nation, and Current Affairs. He holds a
doctorate in Public Health from University of Oxford where he was a Rhodes Scholar, and a medical degree from Columbia University.

Micah Johnson, MD, is a physician and a health care researcher, writer, and policy advisor. He served as a health policy fellow in the U.S. House of Representatives and has advised presidential campaigns on health care reform. He holds a degree in philosophy, politics, and economics from the University of Oxford where he was a Rhodes Scholar, and he received his MD from Harvard Medical School. He is currently a resident physician in internal medicine at Brigham and Women's
Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts.

Reviews

Medicare for All: A Citizen's Guide is part moving narrative, part detailed policy analysis, and part practical organizing playbook.... I am grateful to Drs. El-Sayed and Johnson for speaking truth to power in this fierce book.
*Pramila Jayapal, US Representative, WA-07*

In this book, Drs. Abdul El-Sayed and Micah Johnson discuss Medicare for All in clear and simple terms. They describe the reasons why the industry has opposed the policy even though it would help millions of Americans, and how everyday Americans are beginning to make Medicare for All possible.
*Bernie Sanders, US Senator, VT*

If the American healthcare system were a patient, it would be in critical condition. Fortunately for us, Drs. El-Sayed and Johnson don their white coats to discuss the diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutic options in plain English. This incisive handbook is a must-read for anyone trying to make sense of one of the most pressing issues of our time.
*Danielle Ofri, MD, PhD, Clinical Professor of Medicine and Author of When We Do Harm: A Doctor Confronts Medical Error*

Drs. El-Sayed and Johnson have written a lucid and accessible account of why Medicare for All is the best path for universal healthcare access in the US. Stripping the arguments 'for' or 'against' of sham ideological content, they make clear that the main question is whether we believe that no one should have to face both illness and financial ruin. If you agree, read this book to make the case!
*Mary Bassett, MD, MPH, Director of the FXB Center at Harvard Chan School of Public Health and Former Health Commissioner, New York City*

During a period when global pandemic has exposed the deadly mistake of linking healthcare to our workplace, Medicare for All: A Citizen's Guide is the sweeping, clear-eyed manual for making healthcare a right that we've been waiting for.
*Benjamin Day, Executive Director, Healthcare-NOW*

Nurses have long understood that the major obstacle to passing Medicare for All isn't the policy, but the will to take on those who benefit from our immoral, profit-driven health care system. In this book, Abdul El-Sayed and Micah Johnson brilliantly demonstrate how Medicare for All works, and how a combination of messaging and grassroots advocacy can overcome our opposition. A must read."
*Bonnie Castillo, RN, Executive Director, National Nurses United*

In this timely book, Drs. El-Sayed and Johnson shine a light on the people left behind by our current health care system. Regardless of your politics, their thought-provoking writing will push you to think more deeply and critically about the future of healthcare in America."
*Vivek H. Murthy, MD, MBA 19th Surgeon General of the United States *

This book is a labor of love for the American people and the healthcare system they deserve. Drs. El-Sayed and Johnson demystify Medicare for All and defang the political talking points to offer a clear distillation of the potential of this policy, while guiding the reader through the challenges and opportunities of this moment for achieving it."
*Ro Khanna, US Representative, CA-17 *

An essential primer on why we need Medicare for All, the essentials of reform, and pitfalls to avoid in crafting legislation."
*Steffie Woolhandler, MD, MPH, Distinguished Professor of Public Health, City University of New York and Co-founder of Physicians for a National Health Program *

The coronavirus pandemic has revealed just how unsustainable our fragmentary, privatized, and fundamentally individualistic health care system truly is. This engaging and accessible guide couldn't have come at a better time."
*Lindsay F. Wiley, JD, MPH, Professor of Law and Director of the Health Law and Policy Program, American University Washington College of Law *

In this important and timely book, El-Sayed and Johnson document everything you need to know about Medicare for All. This Citizen's Guide both demystifies and humanizes our broken health care system and explains why we must fight to transform it now."
*Ady Barkan, Organizer, Center for Popular Democracy and Co-Founder, Be A Hero PAC *

This is by far the finest extended analysis I have seen to date of the next wave of public policy options for health care reform. It is breathtakingly comprehensive, thoroughly supported with research citations, lucidly written, and logical. It amounts to a major contribution to the US healthcare reform debate."
*Donald M. Berwick, MD, Former Administrator, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services *

The growing debate over Medicare for All has mostly occurred at the level of soundbites and slogans, not specifics. In this essential 'Citizen's Guide,' we get the specifics: the provisions, promise, potential pitfalls of-and, yes, political prospects for-this bold vision for affordable quality care for all. Whether you support Medicare for All or just want to truly understand it, you must read this book."
*Jacob S. Hacker, Stanley B. Resor Professor of Political Science, Yale University and author of The Great Risk Shift: The New Economic Insecurity and the Decline of the American Dream *

The writing is passionately strong and candid, featuring a sense of balance and connect-the-dots scrutiny that conveys a well-rounded appreciation of the subject matter.
*Kirkus Reviews*

The debate about US health care is raging, with a single-payer system growing in popularity as an option, and Medicare for All is a valuable resource for understanding those important discussions.
*Foreword Reviews*

Medicare for All is a book that should be thrust into the hands of every U.S. legislator, every doctor and nurse, every voter generally. El-Sayed and Johnson bring much-needed clarity and rigor to the discussion about Medicare for All. Their book should be the starting point for every future discussion about the plan.
*Current Affairs*

This practical account offers a straightforward rundown of suggestions and solutions for anyone wishing to learn more about public policy in the Unites States and why Medicare for All is such an important topic. It will especially peak the interest of anyone drawn to policy reform.
*Rachel M. Minkin, Library Journal *