Medicare Blog

how many jobs would be lost if medicare is expanded

by Imani Schultz Published 2 years ago Updated 1 year ago
image

Stanford researchers estimate that 5,000 community hospitals would lose more than $151 billion under a Medicare for All plan; that would translate into the loss of 860,000 to 1.5 million jobs.May 24, 2019

How many workers could lose their jobs under Medicare for all?

If Medicare for All becomes a reality, up to 1.8 million workers in the insurance and health industries could lose their jobs. | Gerry Broome / AP

How many jobs have been lost in the health care industry?

But this also means a huge job loss over a 2- to 4-year period—about 800,000 jobs in the insurance industry and a little more than 1 million in doctors’ offices, clinics, hospitals, and other health providers. The PERI analysis profiles these workforces by occupations, average wages, ages, educational credentials, and racial and gender composition.

How many jobs would be created if every state expands Medicaid?

Exhibit 3 illustrates the employment gains in each of the 14 remaining states in 2022 if they expand Medicaid, totaling almost 837,000 new jobs. An additional 209,000 jobs would be created in the other 36 states and the District of Columbia as a result of increased interstate economic activity.

Is Medicare for all the answer to the aging population’s labor needs?

And there is a large unmet labor need in caring for an aging population. The latter are mostly low-wage jobs, however, and neither compensates for the losses. Pollin suggests that a transition to Medicare for All should be accompanied by a plan to give those made redundant up to three years of salary and help in retraining for another profession.

image

How Medicare for all would hurt the economy?

The real trouble comes when Medicare for all is financed by deficits. With government borrowing, universal health care could shrink the economy by as much as 24% by 2060, as investments in private capital are reduced.

How would Medicare for all affect healthcare workers?

The Truth of What Medicare for All Means for You: Under Medicare for All, “the number of registered nurse graduates will decline by more than 25% and the entire nurse workforce will shrink by 1.2 million registered nurses by 2050 relative to current projections,” according to the issue brief.

How did Medicare increase economic opportunity?

Cutting out those middlemen, as Medicare-for-all would, saves money, in part, by eliminating those jobs — about 1.8 million of them, according to a recent estimate. That sounds like a lot, but it's less than one-tenth the typical number of layoffs in a single year, which added up to 21.8 million in 2018.

Why does the number of jobs in the healthcare field continue to grow?

This aging population (compared with the needs of younger people) will generally have greater healthcare needs. The effects of this aging population are additional jobs in the healthcare industry and many new positions for healthcare providers and healthcare managers.

Do doctors get paid less with universal healthcare?

Physician salaries in the U.S. are among the highest in the world, while countries that have socialized medicine pay their doctors a fraction of the salary. According to MedScape, the average doctor in the U.S. makes $381,000 per year compared to the next highest-paid doctors.

Why are Americans against universal healthcare?

Beyond individual and federal costs, other common arguments against universal healthcare include the potential for general system inefficiency, including lengthy wait-times for patients and a hampering of medical entrepreneurship and innovation [3,12,15,16].

Is Medicare good for the economy?

A new report from EPI research director Josh Bivens finds that Medicare for All would bolster the labor market, strengthen economic security for millions of U.S. households, and would likely boost the number of jobs in the U.S. labor market.

What are the cons of free healthcare?

List of the Cons of Universal Health CareIt requires people to pay for services they do not receive. ... It may stop people from being careful about their health. ... It may limit the accuracy of patient care. ... It may have long wait times. ... It limits the payouts which doctors receive. ... It can limit new technologies.More items...•

Could universal health care work in the US?

California could become first US state to offer universal healthcare to residents. California is considering creating the first government-funded, universal healthcare system in the US for state residents.

Which health professions have the most shortage?

The Association of American Medical Colleges projects a national shortage of up to 124,000 physicians by 2033, including shortages of primary care physicians and specialists, such as pathologists, neurologists, radiologists and psychiatrists.

What is the #1 job in healthcare?

List of Top Careers in Healthcare for 2022. Physical Therapist – Physical therapy tops this health career list because it is a lucrative position with expected growth in the coming years.

What is the highest paying job in the medical field 2020?

AnesthesiologistThe Highest Paying Medical Jobs are: Anesthesiologist - $271,440. Physician and Surgeon - $208,000. Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) - $189,190.

How many jobs would be lost if Medicare for All became law?

Initial research from University of Massachusetts economists who have consulted with multiple 2020 campaigns has estimated that 1.8 million health care jobs nationwide would no longer be needed if Medicare for All became law, upending health insurance companies and thousands of middle class workers whose jobs largely deal with them, including insurance brokers, medical billing workers and other administrative employees. One widely cited study published in the New England Journal of Medicine estimated that administration accounted for nearly a third of the U.S.’ health care expenses.

What would happen if the government expanded healthcare?

Even if a bigger government expansion into health care left doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals’ jobs intact, it would still cause a restructuring of a sprawling system that employs millions of middle-class Americans.

What are health care workers?

Health care workers are interwoven throughout the economy, employed by large institutions like hospitals, health insurance companies and nursing homes but also in places like small accounting firms that help clinicians get reimbursed for care, and as independent brokers who help sell insurance products to customers.

How much do health insurance workers make?

The median annual income of a worker employed in the health insurance industry is nearly $55,000; for office and administrative jobs at health care service sites, it’s about $35,000, researchers said.

How many health care jobs were there in 1990?

Health care jobs in Allegheny County, the region surrounding Pittsburgh, grew from roughly 90,000 in 1990 to around 140,000 this year, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry.

Is Medicare for All a government run system?

There are lots of health reform ideas that wrap themselves in the “Medicare for All” label , ranging from a single government-run system to plans that maintain a role for private insurance companies. But under the most ambitious schemes, millions of health care workers would be at least displaced if not laid off, as the insurance industry disappears or is restructured and policymakers work to bring down the costs of the system by reducing high overhead and labor costs. The reform proposals being promoted by Democratic presidential candidates have barely grappled with this problem.

Who voted for Bernie Sanders?

Claire Cohen, a Pittsburgh-based child psychiatrist, voted for Bernie Sanders, the architect of the most sweeping version of Medicare for All, in the 2016 Democratic presidential primary.

How many jobs would be lost by Medicare for All?

Stanford researchers estimate that 5,000 community hospitals would lose more than $151 billion under a Medicare for All plan; that would translate into the loss of 860,000 to 1.5 million jobs. A Navigant study found that a typical midsize, nonprofit hospital system would have a net revenue loss of 22%.

What would happen if more people got health insurance under expanded Medicare?

Of course, if more people get health insurance under an expanded Medicare, there will be a greater need for some workers — like nurse practitioners and physician assistants. And there is a large unmet labor need in caring for an aging population. The latter are mostly low-wage jobs, however, and neither compensates for the losses.

What would be the first casualties of Medicare for All?

The first casualties of a Medicare for All plan, said Dr. Kevin Schulman, a physician-economist at Stanford, would be the “intermediaries that add to cost, not quality.” For example, the armies of administrators, coders, billers and claims negotiators who make good middle-class salaries and have often spent years in school learning these skills. There would be far less need for drug and device sales representatives who ply their trade office to office and hospital to hospital in a single-payer system, or one in which prices are set at a national level.

What would happen if the healthcare reforms were implemented?

It’s true: Any significant reform would require major realignment of the health care sector, which is now the biggest employer in at least a dozen states. Most hospitals and specialists would probably lose money. Some, like the middlemen who negotiate drug prices, could be eliminated. That would mean job losses in the millions.

Who warned against treating the health care system like a (wildly inefficient) jobs program?

In 2012, Harvard economists Katherine Baicker and Amitabh Chandra warned against “treating the health care system like a (wildly inefficient) jobs program.”. They were rightly worried that the health care system was the primary engine of recovery from the Great Recession. And yet the revelation that the health care sector added more jobs last year ...

Who said carpet bombing would have a severe impact on the economy?

A fellow at the libertarian Cato Institute wrote that it would “ carpet bomb the industry .” David Wichmann , the chief executive of UnitedHealth Group, warned that it “would surely have a severe impact on the economy and jobs.”

Is Medicare for All favorable?

Well over half of Americans already say they have a favorable view of Medicare for All. Though approval falls off when confronted with details such as higher taxes, it is clear that the electorate is searching for something big. Change could come in many guises: for example, some form of Medicare expansion, government negotiations on drug prices or enhancing the power of the Affordable Care Act. The more fundamental the reform, the more severe the economic effect.

How many jobs would be eliminated by Medicare for All?

Opponents of a single-payer health care system have quoted an analysis of the economic effects of Medicare for All that includes the projection that up to 1.8 million jobs in the health insurance and billing administration sector could be eliminated if the policy were implemented. Bivens notes that this number has been stripped of all context that is included in the original study, and is often misleadingly presented as the predicted net employment effect of Medicare for All. But while Medicare for All would indeed lead to lower demand for labor in the health insurance and billing administration sector, it would boost demand for other types of jobs overall. For example, expanded access to health care could increase demand for health services by up to $300 billion annually, which would translate into an increased demand for 2.3 million full-time health care workers.

How does Medicare help?

Additionally, Bivens finds that Medicare for All would: 1 Provide a potential boost to wages and salaries by allowing employers to redirect healthcare spending to workers’ wages. 2 Increase job quality by ensuring that every job would come bundled with a guarantee of health care. 3 Lessen the income loss, stress, and economic shock of unemployment and job transitions by eliminating the loss of health care that accompanies job-loss 4 Support self-employment and small business development—which is low in the United States relative to other rich Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries—by eliminating the daunting cost of health care from startup costs. 5 Inject new dynamism into the overall economy by reducing “job lock”, by allowing workers to go where their skills and preferences lie, not just to workplaces with affordable health plans.

How much would expanded access to health care increase demand for health services?

For example, expanded access to health care could increase demand for health services by up to $300 billion annually, which would translate into an increased demand for 2.3 million full-time health care workers. Further, several Medicare for All plans have provisions to pay for long-term care services, which would create jobs.

How to lessen the economic shock of unemployment and job transitions?

Lessen the income loss, stress, and economic shock of unemployment and job transitions by eliminating the loss of health care that accompanies job-loss

Does Medicare for All pay for long term care?

Further, several Medicare for All plans have provisions to pay for long-term care services, which would create jobs. In 2018, U.S. households provided roughly 34 billion hours in unpaid long-term care. If divided up among full-time workers, it would require 17 million new positions. Even if 10% of this unpaid care was converted to paid positions, it would create enough jobs to essentially offset the displacement of the health insurance and billing administration workers.

Does Medicare help the labor market?

A new report from EPI research director Josh Bivens finds that Medicare for All would bolster the labor market, strengthen economic security for millions of U.S. households, and would likely boost the number of jobs in the U.S. labor market.

Who is the proponent of single payer healthcare?

Proponents of a national, single-payer health care system, like one favored by presidential candidates Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, have long argued it would make medical care accessible to millions of Americans who currently can’t afford it and potentially drive down national health care spending overall.

Is Medicare for all a boon?

Medicare-for-all would be a boon to the American labor market, study finds. Research by a progressive think tank says a national, single-payer health care system would boost small business formation and cause fewer job losses than many critics fear.

How many jobs will Florida add if it expands Medicaid?

A “we are hiring” sign in front of a store in Miami on March 5, 2021. Florida stands to add nearly 135,000 jobs if it expands Medicaid under the American Rescue Plan in 2022. Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images.

How many jobs will be created by expanding Medicaid in 2022?

Expanding Medicaid in these 14 states could produce more than 1 million new jobs in 2022. This is important as the nation struggles to regain jobs and business activity lost during the COVID-19 pandemic.

How much will the ARP bonus be in 2022?

Table 2 presents the state-level budgetary consequences of Medicaid expansion. In 2022, the ARP bonus funds will equal $8.5 billion for the 14 states, although the additional federal Medicaid matching funds that the states will earn by expanding Medicaid will be far larger, $43.8 billion.

What states have Medicaid expansion?

1 As of May 2021, 14 states have income limits well below that level: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Missouri and Oklahoma passed ballot initiatives to expand coverage but have not yet implemented expansion, and Wisconsin has a partial expansion covering adults up to 100 percent of poverty.

What is the income limit for Medicaid in 2021?

The American Rescue Plan Act (ARP) encourages states to expand their Medicaid programs to cover adults — up to age 65 — with incomes at or below 138 percent of the federal poverty level ($30,305 for a family of three in 2021). 1 As of May 2021, 14 states have income limits well below that level: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Mississippi, ...

How many states have Medicaid?

Table 1 below shows current Medicaid eligibility limits for adults in the 14 states and the number of uninsured Americans in 2019 based on census data. (There are not yet definitive estimates of the current number of uninsured, although analysts recognize that Medicaid enrollment grew over the past year and the number without insurance has grown because of the pandemic.) It also shows estimates of increases in Medicaid enrollment — among both newly eligible adults and those already eligible but unenrolled — and reductions in the number of uninsured in 2022, adapted from estimates using the Urban Institute’s Health Policy Simulation Model. 4

How many jobs will there be in the health care sector in 2022?

In addition to providing health insurance and strengthening access to affordable health care, the additional federal support could create more than 1 million new jobs if all 14 states decide to expand Medicaid by 2022. These jobs will not only occur in the health care sector but also in retail, construction, and other industries, benefiting employers, workers, and communities overall.

Why is Medicaid not expanding in 2021?

On June 23, 2021, the judge ruled in favor of DSS, finding that the state’s refusal to expand Medicaid is not unlawful because the initiated amendment violated the state constitution by failing to provide a funding source.

What are the effects of Medicaid expansion?

Effects of the ACA Medicaid Expansion on Racial Disparities in Health and Health Care. The Coverage Gap: Uninsured Poor Adults in States that Do Not Expand Medicaid.

How many states have Medicaid in 2021?

Published: Jul 09, 2021. To date, 39 states (including DC) have adopted the Medicaid expansion and 12 states have not adopted the expansion. Current status for each state is based on KFF tracking and analysis of state expansion activity. These data are available in a table format. The map may be downloaded as a PowerPoint slide.

What is the name of the state that will replace the state's Medicaid expansion?

Arkansas. In April 2021, Governor Asa Hutchinson signed a bill passed by the Arkansas Legislature that would replace the state’s current Medicaid expansion program, Arkansas Works, with the Arkansas Health and Opportunity for Me (HOME) program, contingent on federal approval.

When will Medicaid be available in Oklahoma?

Oklahoma. Enrollment in Medicaid coverage under expansion in Oklahoma began on June 1, 2021, with coverage for these enrollees beginning on July 1, 2021. Oklahoma voters approved a ballot measure on June 30, 2020 which added Medicaid expansion to the state’s Constitution. Language in the approved measure prohibits the imposition ...

When did Medicaid expansion start in Utah?

Utah. Medicaid coverage under expansion began on January 1, 2020. Following a successful Medicaid expansion ballot measure in November 2018, the state legislature took steps to roll back ...

Is Medicaid expansion included in the 2020-2021 budget?

In August 2020, Governor Cooper once again included Medicaid expansion in his proposal for coronavirus-related adjustments to the FY 2020-2021 budget, but the legislature has not included expansion in any of its coronavirus relief bills. South Carolina.

What states have not expanded Medicaid?

But in 2012, the Supreme Court ruled that states could not be penalized for opting out of expansion, and Mississippi is one of 15 states that have not yet expanded Medicaid (Nebraska will expand coverage as of October 2020).

When did Mississippi stop Medicaid expansion?

In June 2013, Republicans in both chambers of the Mississippi legislature voted against Medicaid expansion. They did vote to continue the state’s existing Medicaid program, which came within days of expiring and had to be dealt with in a special legislative session called by Bryant.

How many people in Mississippi are in the coverage gap?

Because subsidies are only available in the exchange for people whose household incomes are at least 100 percent of poverty, there are 103,000 people in Mississippi who are in the coverage gap and have no realistic access to health insurance (some analyses indicate that there are more like 130,000 people in the coverage gap in Mississippi). They aren’t eligible for Medicaid, and they also aren’t eligible for subsidies. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, the share of the uninsured adult population in the coverage gap is highest in Mississippi (37 percent, versus an average of 27 percent across all states that had not expanded Medicaid as of 2014).

How many hours a week does Medicaid work in Mississippi?

The waiver is still pending approval as of September 2018, but if approved, it would allow Mississippi to require some Medicaid enrollees to work, volunteer, attend school, participate in substance abuse treatment, or otherwise fulfill the work requirement for at least 20 hours per week.

What was the uninsured rate in Mississippi in 2014?

However, by the end of 2015, the Gallup data indicated that Mississippi’s uninsured rate had crept up slightly, to 14.7 percent . US Census data puts the state at a lower overall uninsured rate in both 2013 and 2014. The census found that the uninsured rate in 2013 was 17.1 percent, and that it had fallen to 11.8 percent by 2016. But even with the lower uninsured rate in the census data, only eight states had a higher uninsured rate than Mississippi in 2016.

How many people are covered by medicaid in Mississippi?

Mississippi Medicaid covers about 755,000 people, but only about 56,000 of them are in the low-income parent Medicaid eligibility category. And of those, most would have exemptions. About 15,000 to 20,000 people would end up having to work as a result of the work requirement, and many are already working.

How many Mississippi residents would be covered by expansion?

210,000 – Number of additional Mississippi residents who would be covered if the state accepted expansion

image
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9