Americans Deserve the Full Truth About Medicare-For-All and its Ramifications for their Healthcare
May 05, 20224:24 pm
So much of the nation’s discussion about the Medicare-for-all concept takes place through a political prism. It’s important, though, to fully understand what such a drastic change to our healthcare system would mean for patients and the care on which they depend. We welcome Barclay Berdan, the chief executive officer of Texas Health Resources, a faith-based non-profit healthcare system, to share his expertise on the subject.
Americans Deserve the Full Truth About Medicare-For-All and its Ramifications for their Healthcare
by Barclay Berdan, chief executive officer, Texas Health Resources
Everyone, advocates and opponents alike, acknowledges that changing our healthcare system from the status quo to a Medicare-for-all concept would bring about a seismic transformation in the way Americans receive care. Given that such an idea has become a frequent talking point in policy and political circles, it’s critical that the public understand the full ramifications of such a complete remake of American healthcare.
Today, roughly 160 million people in this country have private health insurance that is sponsored by an employer. Almost 14 million have purchased private health plans through the Affordable Care Act marketplaces. Even within the Medicare program, 26 million beneficiaries have elected to enroll in private Medicare Advantage plans. Under the predominant Medicare-for-all proposals we’ve seen, these private plans would all go away and be replaced by a single government-run health coverage infrastructure. We would be remiss if we didn’t give thought to how this could affect patient access to hospitals and physicians.
Hospitals are required to think about what we call payer mix. Private health insurance reimburses at a higher rate for healthcare services than Medicare and Medicaid do. In fact, historically, Medicare and Medicaid payments are less than the actual cost hospitals absorb in providing those services. (According to one study, in 2017, those combined Medicare and Medicaid underpayments totaled nearly $77 billion.). Hospitals, which generally operate on very thin margins, can afford to keep their doors open and provide care to Medicare and Medicaid patients because of those comparatively-higher private plan reimbursements.
So what happens if every single American becomes a Medicare beneficiary? Our first concern has to be those communities that are in greatest risk of losing their hospitals even under the current healthcare financing system. According to the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform, 130 rural hospitals have closed in the past decade and another 900 are in danger of ceasing operations in the near future. Many of these healthcare providers have low financial reserves and could not absorb a significant revenue loss.
Then, there are the current and future healthcare workforce shortages that were only exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. A Mercer study tells us that, just four years from now, we will have a shortage of 3.2 million healthcare workers. Within a system financed entirely by the federal government, how will salary rates be set for healthcare professions and will they be sufficient to encourage more people to pursue health-related jobs? And will we have enough personnel to meet what will be an expected rise in utilization under a system in which presumably everyone is covered for every healthcare service (or, will a Medicare-for-all system have to impose restrictions on utilization, a topic that has been severely under-discussed up to now).
Of course, it is always possible that, in creating a Medicare-for-all program, Congress could establish reimbursement rates that are sufficiently high to fully replace the loss of private plan payment levels. That would, however, raise a plethora of questions about total cost for a Medicare-for-all program and the taxes required to pay for it.
The point being that we are likely to hear a lot about Medicare-for-all in the weeks and months ahead. We need more than political rhetoric, though, to rationalize completely overturning a healthcare system that is currently utilized by most Americans. Tough questions about ramifications and possible consequences need to be asked and answered before we even consider moving from point A to a radically different point B. In the meantime, we should look at how to improve the current system to provide better care to those who don’t currently have access to it, roughly 10 million uninsured individuals without access to subsidies. Also, the administration’s action this month to improve the Affordable Care Act’s coverage affordability for families was an important step. It is abundantly clear that we can improve both health care and health by improving what we have.
55 Responses to “Americans Deserve the Full Truth About Medicare-For-All and its Ramifications for their Healthcare”
January 28th, 2024 at 10:41 am
brand ventolin 2mg purchase ventolin online ventolin without prescription
February 1st, 2024 at 3:40 pm
buy deltasone 20mg sale buy deltasone 40mg pill purchase deltasone for sale
February 3rd, 2024 at 5:42 am
order isotretinoin 20mg sale buy isotretinoin cheap isotretinoin 10mg
February 4th, 2024 at 1:00 pm
albuterol 2mg cost buy albuterol inhaler order ventolin for sale
February 4th, 2024 at 11:10 pm
amoxil 500mg usa amoxil 500mg pill amoxil 500mg ca
February 6th, 2024 at 5:12 am
buy augmentin 1000mg for sale generic augmentin buy generic augmentin online
February 6th, 2024 at 2:46 pm
cheap azithromycin 250mg buy generic azithromycin 250mg purchase zithromax generic
February 7th, 2024 at 10:10 pm
buy levothyroxine generic oral synthroid 75mcg cheap synthroid sale
February 8th, 2024 at 6:54 am
buy prednisolone 20mg generic buy omnacortil 5mg online prednisolone 5mg usa
February 9th, 2024 at 2:02 pm
buy clomiphene generic clomiphene us buy generic clomiphene
February 9th, 2024 at 9:37 pm
cheap neurontin online buy gabapentin generic gabapentin 100mg brand
February 11th, 2024 at 12:17 pm
buy lasix 100mg lasix 100mg pills lasix 40mg pills
February 11th, 2024 at 8:23 pm
buy generic sildenafil sildenafil overnight delivery order generic viagra
February 13th, 2024 at 1:49 am
buy doxycycline 200mg sale buy generic doxycycline over the counter buy vibra-tabs pills
February 13th, 2024 at 8:13 am
buy rybelsus pills rybelsus 14mg cheap rybelsus cost
February 15th, 2024 at 3:14 pm
purchase lyrica pill buy lyrica generic pregabalin brand
February 16th, 2024 at 4:23 am
buy generic hydroxychloroquine order plaquenil 200mg order plaquenil 400mg sale
February 16th, 2024 at 9:42 pm
aristocort 10mg tablet purchase triamcinolone without prescription buy aristocort generic
February 17th, 2024 at 1:13 pm
tadalafil liquid usa cialis sales brand name cialis
February 18th, 2024 at 3:52 am
buy desloratadine without prescription where can i buy desloratadine buy desloratadine 5mg sale
February 18th, 2024 at 8:05 pm
order cenforce 50mg order cenforce 50mg pill cenforce for sale online
February 19th, 2024 at 6:33 pm
buy claritin pill buy claritin medication loratadine 10mg generic
February 20th, 2024 at 5:50 am
where can i buy aralen buy chloroquine without prescription order chloroquine sale
February 21st, 2024 at 12:16 am
buy generic dapoxetine for sale buy cytotec without a prescription order misoprostol 200mcg
February 21st, 2024 at 9:54 pm
generic glycomet 1000mg buy metformin online metformin 500mg price
February 22nd, 2024 at 8:54 am
purchase orlistat pills buy diltiazem 180mg online cheap purchase diltiazem sale
February 24th, 2024 at 4:24 am
norvasc 5mg cheap buy norvasc 5mg for sale norvasc 10mg pills
February 24th, 2024 at 8:14 am
order acyclovir 400mg without prescription order acyclovir 400mg pills allopurinol where to buy
February 25th, 2024 at 1:59 pm
buy zestril 10mg for sale buy lisinopril without prescription order lisinopril 5mg sale
February 25th, 2024 at 3:44 pm
brand rosuvastatin buy zetia 10mg online zetia 10mg cheap
February 26th, 2024 at 8:23 pm
buy omeprazole 10mg pill omeprazole 10mg over the counter order generic omeprazole
February 26th, 2024 at 9:21 pm
domperidone uk order sumycin 500mg online buy tetracycline medication
February 28th, 2024 at 7:44 am
metoprolol pills buy metoprolol pill order lopressor pills
February 28th, 2024 at 7:51 am
buy cyclobenzaprine cheap order flexeril 15mg order baclofen without prescription
February 29th, 2024 at 2:02 pm
brand toradol 10mg ketorolac tablet buy gloperba pills
February 29th, 2024 at 5:33 pm
atenolol 100mg drug atenolol medication purchase tenormin pills
March 2nd, 2024 at 1:10 am
purchase medrol online cheap depo-medrol buy online buy methylprednisolone tablets
March 3rd, 2024 at 4:38 am
inderal 10mg price plavix 75mg sale buy cheap plavix
March 3rd, 2024 at 12:48 pm
essay writing sites do my term paper how to write an about me essay
March 4th, 2024 at 7:58 am
order methotrexate 2.5mg pills cost methotrexate 2.5mg buy coumadin pill
March 5th, 2024 at 6:51 am
buy meloxicam online buy mobic cheap celebrex 200mg cheap
March 5th, 2024 at 11:18 am
buy reglan 20mg for sale buy generic metoclopramide online generic cozaar 50mg
March 6th, 2024 at 5:46 pm
tamsulosin 0.2mg price celebrex 100mg sale celecoxib 200mg ca
March 8th, 2024 at 3:19 pm
buy esomeprazole generic topiramate generic buy generic topamax 200mg
March 9th, 2024 at 1:40 pm
buy ondansetron 4mg online aldactone 25mg usa spironolactone 25mg cost
March 9th, 2024 at 7:46 pm
cost imitrex levofloxacin 250mg sale order generic levofloxacin 250mg
March 11th, 2024 at 1:07 am
brand simvastatin valacyclovir oral valacyclovir generic
March 11th, 2024 at 7:16 am
dutasteride where to buy avodart pill buy generic zantac
March 11th, 2024 at 2:36 pm
propecia 1mg us finasteride tablet diflucan where to buy
March 12th, 2024 at 8:27 pm
buy acillin no prescription penicillin us order amoxil without prescription
March 13th, 2024 at 9:51 pm
cipro 1000mg generic – keflex 125mg drug augmentin 375mg uk
March 14th, 2024 at 9:39 pm
buy cheap baycip – keflex without prescription purchase amoxiclav pills
March 16th, 2024 at 5:27 pm
order flagyl without prescription – metronidazole ca buy azithromycin 500mg pill
March 18th, 2024 at 6:46 am
ciplox 500 mg oral – how to get tinidazole without a prescription buy erythromycin 500mg pills
March 18th, 2024 at 9:56 pm
buy valtrex pills – zovirax 400mg sale acyclovir drug
Leave a Reply