Medicare Blog

"why the demand for 'medicare for all' won't go away"

by Jakayla McLaughlin Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago

Will Medicare for all disrupt the job market?

Medicare for All isn’t predicted to disrupt all job types and could even potentially benefit certain types of health care workers ― for example, by expanding the need for caregivers because of a proposed expansion of long-term care benefits.

Will Medicare-for-all eliminate the insurance industry?

Under the Medicare-for-All plan, private insurance would be eliminated and physicians who are in private practice would be paid on a fee-for-service basis through a national fee schedule, likely at the current Medicare rate or slightly lower. By eliminating the insurance industry, the plan would also eliminate one million jobs.

Will Medicare-for-all worsen the shortage of doctors?

The Association of American Medical Colleges projects that this shortage will worsen, even without the negative influence of Medicare-for-All.

Could the Democratic health care plan wipe out thousands of jobs?

The big Democratic talking point has a big political weakness: It could wipe out thousands of jobs in places like Pittsburgh that have built their new economies on health care. Rachana Pradhan is a health care reporter for POLITICO Pro.

Why won't Medicare for All work?

Why Medicare For All Simply Won't Work. Left-wing politicians continue to push for creation of new government-run health care plans, sometimes called “single payer” or “Medicare for All,” that would replace all private and employment-based coverage. Health care in America is too bureaucratic, costly, and complex.

What would happen if progressives enacted their massive demolition project?

If progressives were to enact their massive demolition project, they claim that American health care will be superior. It will usher in a new era of universal coverage and care for all 331 million Americans, higher-quality care, superior medical outcomes, and lower costs for individuals and families and the nation at large. Don’t believe it. ...

Will the healthcare debate intensify in 2020?

Regardless of the outcome of the 2020 presidential and congressional elections, the health care debate will intensify. Americans must learn to ignore politicians’ promises, and instead scrutinize politicians’ actions, particularly the legislative language of the House and Senate bills they sponsor or co-sponsor.

Is health care bureaucratic?

Health care in America is too bureaucratic, costly, and complex. Self-styled “progressive” politicians claim they have a “remedy” for that; namely, the creation of a new government-run health plan—sometimes called “ single payer ” or “ Medicare for All ”—replacing all private and employment-based coverage, as well as most major federal health ...

Why should young people not pursue medicine?

Bright young people may decide not to pursue careers in medicine, given that “Medicare for all” will limit their earning power. Regardless, ratcheting down the price of care by force is going to cause health care providers to supply less of it. And that will lead to longer waits for patients.

What is the Medicare bill?

The bill proposes reimbursing doctors and hospitals at Medicare's current rates, which are 40 percent below what private insurance pays. Health care providers are unlikely to just absorb those cuts. Those with narrow margins – say, in rural areas – may be forced to close, unable to cover their costs.

Will Americans stand for Medicare for All?

American patients will not stand for the higher taxes and lower-quality care that “Medicare-for-all” would bring. A majority of people, 55 percent, erroneously believe that they'd be able to keep their private insurance under such a system.

What would happen if there was a single payer?

“The immediate effect of having a single ("stingy") payer would be lower incomes for physicians and a reduction in the supply of active physicians, thereby impairing access to health care for all patients.”

What did Bernie Sanders want to do?

Senate as a direct response to the GOP’s failure to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (a.k.a. Obamacare). House Democrats are also pushing a similar proposal; however, the lack of understanding of the benefits of a market-oriented health care system is apparent throughout the ranks of Congressional progressives.

How would Medicare for All affect physicians?

Under the Medicare-for-All plan, private insurance would be eliminated and physicians who are in private practice would be paid on a fee-for-service basis through a national fee schedule, likely at the current Medicare rate or slightly lower. By eliminating the insurance industry, the plan would also eliminate one million jobs. The new fee schedule would be significantly lower than the current industry fee schedule, which means Medicare-for-All would likely lower physician incomes in a significant way, making a bad situation for physicians even worse.

Who introduced Medicare for All?

Senator Bernie Sanders recently announced his Medicare-for-All bill. This is basically the senate version of the congressional bill introduced by Pra mila Jaya pal. The bill would eliminate the insurance industry and much of the billing bureaucracy that exists today. It would provide health care coverage for everyone and eliminate copays ...

What are the six critical objectives that could improve quality while reducing the cost of healthcare?

There are six critical objectives that, if achieved, could improve quality while reducing the cost of healthcare by as much $1 trillion per year: 1. Provide universal health care by requiring all employers to provide health insurance for their employees.

What do liberals and moderates want?

Both liberal and moderate Democrats want a universal health care system that covers all Americans. They would like a single-payer system like Medicare-for-All or a combination of public and private payers that would cover everyone.

Is there an alternative to Obamacare?

There is an alternative to both Obamacare and Medicare-for-All. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., introduces the Medicare for All Act of 2019, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, April 10, 2019. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) The Associated Press. Senator Bernie Sanders recently announced his Medicare-for-All bill.

Is Medicare for All the wrong path?

While it has good intentions, Medicare-for-All is the wrong path for the future of healthcare in America. We need a plan which brings universal healthcare to America, one that would improve quality, improve outcomes, expand competition and lower costs.

Will Republicans reduce the deficit?

Historically Republicans would like to reduce the federal deficit, and it is likely that they feel a more urgent need to do so with the passage of the tax cut of 2018 that is projected to increase the deficit. Efforts to reduce the federal deficit will likely in part focus on expenditures for Medicare and Medicaid.

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.

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.

Will Medicare for All be available to uninsured?

And Medicare for All would provide health benefits to tens of millions who are still uninsured, creating additional demand for doctors and other providers. Still, others are likely to be lost in the short term.

Is Medicare for All a national health plan?

The idea of one national health plan covering all Americans has steadily grown more popular in public opinion po lls over time, a sea change that coincides with Medicare for All becoming near orthodoxy for progressive Democrats. Prior to 2016, when Sanders made it the linchpin of his insurgent run for president, less than half of Americans supported setting up a such a system, according to Kaiser Family Foundation polling. Now, just over half of the public backs it.

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 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.

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