Helaine Olen asks in a Washington Post opinion piece how it is that we can be in a pandemic and not talking about Medicare for All? After all, pre-coronavirus, the media and the pundits could not stop talking about Medicare for All. And, now, with millions of people losing their jobs and their employer coverage and millions more people with insurance unable to afford critical care, the moral, public health, and economic case for Medicare for All is all the stronger.
Medicare for all is, in essence, an improved version of traditional Medicare for everyone in the country. For the typical American, it would feel like a better version of the insurance they have today. They would be able to continue to see the doctors they currently see if they wanted to. But, they would have no out-of-pocket costs for their care.
Medicare for All would include coverage for vision, hearing, dental and long-term care. Premiums would be based on income. And, everyone would have access to virtually all doctors and other health care providers, wherever they are in the US, with no prior authorization or referral requirements.
What’s important to understand about Medicare for all is that all but the wealthiest Americans’ health care costs would go down, as would national health spending. We would save $600 billion a year in administrative costs and profits. And, annual prescription drug savings would be about $250 billion.
But, Vice-President Biden does not support Medicare for All. Like many Americans, he says he prefers building on our patchwork system. As a small offering to progressives, he now supports lowering the age of Medicare eligibility.
Mr. Biden also supports giving all Americans the choice of public health insurance, a “public option.” But, he doesn’t define what it would look like or indicate how it would work. The devil is in the details. Unfortunately, the evidence suggests that a public option–particularly a state-based option–would not bring down costs or guarantee people coverage.
The novel coronavirus pandemic has pushed health care out of the spotlight. It has taken a crushing economic toll on the country. More than 40 million people are now unemployed. But, a lot of people are not going to the doctor if they can avoid it–to save money as well as to limit their exposure to other people.
Personal health should go hand in glove with financial health. Without a doubt, the fight for guaranteed health care for all will rage on. Health care remains a top policy priority among voters. The pandemic has only highlighted and exacerbated the problems with our health care system, jeopardizing the wellbeing of Americans and taking a large toll on many hospitals and physicians.
Unfortunately, members of Congress are still largely in the pocket of industry. And, they are promoting legislation that does not address our health care needs–affordability, equity, reliability, access, universality–guaranteed universal health care without barriers.
At the same time, some 25 million Americans have recently lost their jobs and their health insurance coverage; many are now on Medicaid, but most remain uninsured. Insurers are dropping providers from their networks. And, there’s reason to believe that without Congressional action, insurance premiums and prescription drug prices will continue to soar.
We need Medicare for All more than ever.
Here’s more from Just Care:
