What’s Wrong with “Medicare for All”?
Defenders of national health care proposals try to make the claim – in response to critics – that government-run health care is pretty good, citing Medicare (and Medicaid). So what's wrong with "Medicare for All"?
- Medicare's coverage is not that good
- Medicare recipients spend more per household (and a much a higher share of their income) on out-of-pocket expenditures than do non-Medicare households
- Over half of all Medicare recipients buy supplemental health insurance, or get it from their employer. An additional 22% are enrolled in Medicare Advantage, with additional benefits and costs (though Obama is looking to gut Medicare Advantage).
- Medicare has higher administrative costs per person than private insurance.
- Medicare is going bankrupt, with $89 trillion in unfunded liability.
- Medicare underpays doctors and providers, resulting in:
- An increasing number of doctors who refuse to accept Medicare patients.
- Cost shifting – Medicare shifts billions in costs on to providers, which results in increasing premiums for private coverage.
The final point would be extremely important to consider when discussing expanding the number on government programs – i.e. it will drive up the costs of private insurance (and of course, their will be fewer left to shift cost on to).
3 Responses to “What’s Wrong with “Medicare for All”?”
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[...] is more likely true: Medicaid increases prices for private-pay patients. (The same is true of Medicare, which typically pays more than Medicaid.) No Related [...]
Dear Nathan Benefield,
I do not believe you.
Why don’t you cite your sources and Please I would expect sources not directly connected fascist organizations.
The idea you can spout percentages and other figures with out reference to their source shows the level of your argument.
I too do not think Medicare is the model we should follow.
What we need is and I would support is a massive expansion of the VA system open to all American citizens.
It is time Our Country Put our Citizens lives first and stopped killing off the poor because they can not afford to keep themselves alive.
Its time we stopped letting the lucky, greedy or smart be the only ones who can afford to stay alive.
Dear Brad Burns,
The level of your argument can be seen in your ignorance to already cited sources.
Do not criticize someone because they have an opinion in contrast to your own.
And a question for you, if the lucky, greedy, and smart are the only ones who can afford to stay alive what have you done in the past month to help those in need?