Why doesn’t John Delaney support Medicare for all?
In the middle of a vigorous argument over Medicare for All during the Democratic debate tonight, former Representative John Delaney pointed out the reason he doesn’t support moving all Americans onto Medicare: It generally pays doctors and hospitals less than private-insurance companies do.
Will Medicare for all mean more hospitals will close?
Because of that, some have predicted that if private insurance ends, and Medicare for All becomes the law of the land, many hospitals will close, because they simply won’t be able to afford to stay open at Medicare’s rates. Fact-checkers have pointed out that while some hospitals would do worse under Medicare for All, some would do better.
Medicare Vs. Medicare For All
Delaney’s claim also misses another point. The Medicare for All bill sponsored by fellow Democratic candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) doesn’t actually say hospitals would be paid at Medicare rates.
Still, A Major (And Consequential) Change
Analysts noted that Delaney is getting at something real, and important. Medicare for All would represent a seismic change for hospitals. Figuring out how to pay them would be complicated and must be done carefully.
Our Ruling
Delaney said that “if you go to every hospital in this country and you ask them one question, which is, ‘How would it have been for you last year if every one of your bills were paid at the Medicare rate?’ Every single hospital administrator said they would close.”
Who spoke about Medicare for All?
It’s the only way to achieve universal, affordable and high-quality health insurance. Senator Bernie Sanders spoke about Medicare for All during a September health care rally in California. Credit... Ms. Day is a staff writer at Jacobin, where Mr. Sunkara is editor.
Which countries have single payer Medicare?
Taiwan and Canada both have single-payer systems, and both spend less than 2 percent of total expenditures on administrative costs — and so does the United States’s current Medicare program. By contrast, private insurers in the United States spend as much as 25 percent on overheads.
Is health care a business?
A growing majority of Americans agree: Health care shouldn’t be a business. They’re finally coming around to the idea that it can and should be a public good instead — something we can all turn to when the need arises. The favorite right-wing argument against Medicare for All — the most popular approach to universal, ...
Is Medicare for All a public agency?
Medicare for All would transfer all payment responsibility to one public agency (as opposed to a bunch of private companies), and that act of combination produces the big price tag that conservatives use as a cudgel. But while this would be more expensive for the government, it wouldn’t be for ordinary Americans.
Different Hospitals, Different Effects
Medicare vs. Medicare For All
- Delaney’s claim also misses another point. The Medicare for All bill sponsored by fellow Democratic candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) doesn’t actually say hospitals would be paid at Medicare rates. It’s entirely possible — and indeed likely — that hospitals with large private revenue margins would make less money under a single-payer system. But, again, Delaney seem…
Still, A Major (and Consequential) Change
- Analysts noted that Delaney is getting at something real, and important. Medicare for All would represent a seismic change for hospitals. Figuring out how to pay them would be complicated and must be done carefully. “It is not an easy — it’s not a wave of the hand to fix this,” Blumberg said. After all, any government single-payer plan would likely...
Our Ruling
- Delaney said that “if you go to every hospital in this country and you ask them one question, which is, ‘How would it have been for you last year if every one of your bills were paid at the Medicare rate?’ Every single hospital administrator said they would close.” But Delaney has not gone “to every hospital in the country,” so he cannot say what “every single hospital administrator” would …