text: "We’re talking about a single-payer universal system that would cover every resident of his state, regardless of the condition of his or her health, and with no insurance companies jockeying for profits in the mix.  Such a simple system is the one used by all the Scandinavian countries. 
  
  "If Maryland and other states adopted it, they would be delivering at the state level what most developed nations already provide for their citizens.  Isn’t it worth a try?
  
  "American politicians who refuse to learn lessons from Scandinavia usually dismiss those countries as too “small” to be relevant to America’s exceptionally grand experience.  
  
  "And they do have a point: it’s surely easier to implement a big plan on a smaller scale.
  
  "If that’s true, however, then applying 'Medicare for All' at the state level should be easier.  
  
  "And of all the US states, only eight have a population greater than that of Scandinavia’s biggest country, Sweden (nine million), while 30 states have fewer residents.