Medicare-for-All

[Greenbeard]

Are we honestly that stupid that we think that we can succeed where every other country that operates something similar has failed?

Failed at what?

 

[WillowTree]

http://sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/news/?id=47d632b8-4a43-4d2b-b500-cb2c105e93ef

WASHINGTON, May 10 -- Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) announced today that he introduced legislation to provide health care for every American through a Medicare-for-all type single-payer system.

Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.) filed a companion bill in the House to provide better care for more patients at less cost by eliminating the middle-man role played by private insurance companies that rake off billions of dollars in profits.

The twin measures, both called the American Health Security Act of 2011, would provide federal guidelines and strong minimum standards for states to administer single-payer health care programs.

Soon as ALL AMERICANS pay a share of the bill aka FEDERAL INcome taxes, no loopholes, no rebates no NIke tennis shoes and no drugs,, I'll say it's a square deal.

 

[AVG-JOE]

I'm still drawn to 'medicare plus'- revamping Medicare and opening it to all American adults who choose to enroll. Allowing younger, healthier individuals in would better spread risk and should bring down costs. Also, we need to ensure that various providers must compete for contracts and health care providers are able to purchase medications from the least expensive (verified) source

Government run medicare is not based on age. Granted, most are seniors. But the government can't keep track of who is not dead yet, so there is no way they will be able to track who is what age.

Imagine what's on the Social Security and IRS data bases and how accessible that information is with modern technology...

Now, care to re-think that position?

 

[WillowTree]

http://sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/news/?id=47d632b8-4a43-4d2b-b500-cb2c105e93ef

WASHINGTON, May 10 -- Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) announced today that he introduced legislation to provide health care for every American through a Medicare-for-all type single-payer system.

Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.) filed a companion bill in the House to provide better care for more patients at less cost by eliminating the middle-man role played by private insurance companies that rake off billions of dollars in profits.

The twin measures, both called the American Health Security Act of 2011, would provide federal guidelines and strong minimum standards for states to administer single-payer health care programs.

Well sir, if we have MEdicare for ALL then we must have FEDeral INcome TAXES for ALL to pay for it. TIA.

 

[editec]

Single universal payer is a good start.

But if that's all it is, if that system cannot hold HC prices in tandem with overall inflation, then it will bankrupt the nation.

And we all know the problems associated with price fixing, right?

Hell much of the reason the cost of HC has risen so quickly has to do with our governments and insurance providers NOT fighting to keep down HC costs.

Now in the cause of private HC insurance companies, it is in their VESTED interested to allow the cost of HC to rise.

Their premiums are based on the overall cost of medicine, aren't they?

The more medicine costs, the more money THEY make selling HC insurance.

So much for the efficiency of free market capitalism, in this case, eh?

 

[AVG-JOE]

Single universal payer is a good start.

But if that's all it is, if that system cannot hold HC prices in tandem with overall inflation, then it will bankrupt the nation.

And we all know the problems associated with price fixing, right?

Hell much of the reason the cost of HC has risen so quickly has to do with our governments and insurance providers NOT fighting to keep down HC costs.

Now in the cause of private HC insurance companies, it is in their VESTED interested to allow the cost of HC to rise.

Their premiums are based on the overall cost of medicine, aren't they?

The more medicine costs, the more money THEY make selling HC insurance.

So much for the efficiency of free market capitalism, in this case, eh?

Imagine that all the money we and our employers 'spend' on health insurance premiums is a 'Health-care tax'....

Picture it now... how much have each of us contributed over our lifetimes?

..... how much have our various employers put in on our behalf?​

That's a system that appears pretty flush with working capital to this average Joe, it just depends on whether you want the proceeds of the health-care bureaucracy to pay for the boo-boos and bad days of the contributors or marketing trips to Aruba for the owners and employees of the bureaucracy.

 

[Wiseacre]

Health care is not a right, it is a service that you should pay for like any other good or service. If you really want universal single payer, then you should have a universal tax to pay for it, not on labor but on consumption because everybody living here buys something. Whatever it takes, 5%, 10%, whatever, you can raise or lower the rate every year based on the previous year's deficit or surplus.

If they want to, providers can charge at or over whatever the IPAB rate is, and patients either pay extra or see another provider. Don't know if you'll find many providers who will offer care for whatever the going rate is, but hey, life ain't a bowl of cherries.