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From the OP's article: >> In fact, there are no OECD countries where the government picks up the entire health care tab. In Canada, government spending accounts for 70% of health costs, in Germany, 85%, in Sweden it’s 83.9%, and in the U.K. it’s under 80%, according to OECD data.<<
This is misleading garbage. It's a preview of the torrent of misinformation, lies and distortions that will come out if there's a serious push for Medicare For All.
Medicare does not and will not pick up "the entire health care tab." Medicare is basic coverage. As every senior knows, you need to buy supplemental insurance in order to get decent coverage. If you consider a supplemental plan might cost $300 per month and the value of Medicare might be $1,000 per month, then that implies about 75% coverage, in line with the OECD countries and Canada, which are cited above.
There is nothing radical about the Medicare For All proposal -- nothing! It already exists for seniors age 65 and over. Dropping the eligibility age from 65 to a younger age isn't radical, it's an expansion of an existing program.
I'm 69 years old, on Medicare and I can assure everyone it is not free.
Medicare Part A covers 80% of hospital bills but it is free to me because I worked and paid taxes for over 50 years.
Medicare Part B pays for doctors and for that I pay $134.00 every month. With the Part B there are deductibles and co-pays just like what is found in Part A coverage.
To cover the co-pays and deductibles I pay $139.54 every month for my Cigna Plan G which covers all my co-pays but not my deductible which is currently $183.00 for the year.
I also have Plan D which covers my drug costs for $27.40 every month. Now understand this doesn't cover all my drug costs because there are co-pays in the drug costs as well. Even with Plan D coverage I estimate I spend at least $75.00 out of my pocket for drugs in addition to the Plan D cost.
All in all my Medicare runs me $300.94 out of my pocket every month.
My wife has the same costs so together we pay $601.88 for our Medicare insurance.
The plus part of this is once I pay the $183.00 for the deductible everything is 100% covered for the year with not one additional penny coming out of pocket anytime I see a doctor or visit the hospital. I know almost to the penny where my costs are and I plan accordingly.
As a couple I would estimate our total out of pocket expense for all medical, this includes the insurance and our portion of the pharmacy, runs a total of about $9,400 annually. So much for free Medicare.
But it is a great deal and sure is a lot better than the $1,500/month we were paying for private insurance that covered a whole lot less and had huge deductibles and co-pays.
$9,400/year is a bargain!
The biggest cost savings achieved by Medicare is their ability to negotiate with providers. Ah hell, this negotiation is like holding a gun to providers heads because it is negotiate or die. Where would doctors and hospitals be if they refused Medicare in their practice? They would be in the toilet is where they would be... no patients.
But I get a Medicare statement for services and it is not unusual to see "Hospital Billed $3,456.67" followed by "Medicare Paid: $634.77" followed by the statement "This is not a bill". It is the providers that eat the difference because as part of their contract with the providers must eat the difference.
So this works well in keeping costs down.
OK, maybe some don't know about this little trick so here goes.
Let's say your son breaks a leg and doesn't have insurance. The bill from the hospital comes to $4,644.12 and they expect you to pay for it. Immediately after you get the bill withdraw $2,000.00 cash money (all $100 bills) and go to the hospital telling them you can pay $2,000.00 in full settlement right then and there or you can set up a payment plan of $25/month to the end of time. I am willing to make bet they'll take the $2,000.00 cash money paid in full. Oh yes they will especially if you consider the Medicare approved amount on that broken leg might be $800.00. Yeah, that much of a difference.
The people that really get hurt are those without any money to settle and no insurance. They get billed the full brunt.
Do you think 3 TRILLION dollars worth of the US Economy is going to allow itself to take a hit? Tell you what - when the security state is cut in 1/2 (From a trillion to 500 billion) , we can talk more.
Stating the obvious doesn't help us with our current problems. In the USA we have decided that chaos and money control everything. The Corporations (which, through stocks, are often you and I) will simply not allow a TRILLION or more in revenue to go away. Even the weakest of lobbying industries end up getting their way....that is, if you spend even a couple hundred grand per year, it's likely you will get a lot of what you want.
So the very idea that we are going to go to the Chinese model is crazy. Sure, I would love it ($5 to see a doctor, $20 for a good specialist, $50 for full MRI and maybe $50 for the procedure - broken hand, for example) is crazy. It's not going to happen since our current system yields $2K out of such a case.
Tell you want. If you believe in this - start or invest in a company doing it and you will become a Billionaire. But remember that States heavily regulate medicine and - sure as shooting - most of them will lock you out when they find you are cutting down their GDP by offering reasonable services.
The left has gone completely insane. I can't believe their most likely presidential candidate Harris signed onto this. My god we can never let these people gain control of the wheel they will drive us right off a cliff!
The left has gone completely insane. I can't believe their most likely presidential candidate Harris signed onto this.
A single working mom finds a lump in her breast. She has no insurance. It's insane to want her to be able to get an exam and treatment affordably if needed?
OP - There are three cost centers in modern medicine. They are pharmaceutical industry, care providers and private insurance companies. This system could exist even if it never had any patients. All of these are protected monopolies looting the system for maximum profit at the expense of the public that must purchase insurance or pay for government insurance to pay for their care.
In most economic theory a monopoly is a failure of a market system even if the monopoly makes sense as it does in electric utilities, water supplies and the Army etc. We do not need monopolies in our health care system. We should have government ownership of all the aspects of healthcare. This would not only eliminate reasonable profits as well as usurious monopoly profits it would also eliminate absurd executive salaries and bonuses and absurd stock price manipulation.
Our current system is absurdly corrupt because of the monopolies that own it as well as the politicians that regulate it. We are the ones paying for this fraud. We need to take it over and run it efficiently and properly so we get great health care at affordable prices.
I'm 69 years old, on Medicare and I can assure everyone it is not free.
Medicare Part A covers 80% of hospital bills but it is free to me because I worked and paid taxes for over 50 years.
Medicare Part B pays for doctors and for that I pay $134.00 every month. With the Part B there are deductibles and co-pays just like what is found in Part A coverage.
To cover the co-pays and deductibles I pay $139.54 every month for my Cigna Plan G which covers all my co-pays but not my deductible which is currently $183.00 for the year.
I also have Plan D which covers my drug costs for $27.40 every month. Now understand this doesn't cover all my drug costs because there are co-pays in the drug costs as well. Even with Plan D coverage I estimate I spend at least $75.00 out of my pocket for drugs in addition to the Plan D cost.
All in all my Medicare runs me $300.94 out of my pocket every month.
My wife has the same costs so together we pay $601.88 for our Medicare insurance.
The plus part of this is once I pay the $183.00 for the deductible everything is 100% covered for the year with not one additional penny coming out of pocket anytime I see a doctor or visit the hospital. I know almost to the penny where my costs are and I plan accordingly.
As a couple I would estimate our total out of pocket expense for all medical, this includes the insurance and our portion of the pharmacy, runs a total of about $9,400 annually. So much for free Medicare.
But it is a great deal and sure is a lot better than the $1,500/month we were paying for private insurance that covered a whole lot less and had huge deductibles and co-pays.
$9,400/year is a bargain!
The biggest cost savings achieved by Medicare is their ability to negotiate with providers. Ah hell, this negotiation is like holding a gun to providers heads because it is negotiate or die. Where would doctors and hospitals be if they refused Medicare in their practice? They would be in the toilet is where they would be... no patients.
But I get a Medicare statement for services and it is not unusual to see "Hospital Billed $3,456.67" followed by "Medicare Paid: $634.77" followed by the statement "This is not a bill". It is the providers that eat the difference because as part of their contract with the providers must eat the difference.
So this works well in keeping costs down.
OK, maybe some don't know about this little trick so here goes.
Let's say your son breaks a leg and doesn't have insurance. The bill from the hospital comes to $4,644.12 and they expect you to pay for it. Immediately after you get the bill withdraw $2,000.00 cash money (all $100 bills) and go to the hospital telling them you can pay $2,000.00 in full settlement right then and there or you can set up a payment plan of $25/month to the end of time. I am willing to make bet they'll take the $2,000.00 cash money paid in full. Oh yes they will especially if you consider the Medicare approved amount on that broken leg might be $800.00. Yeah, that much of a difference.
The people that really get hurt are those without any money to settle and no insurance. They get billed the full brunt.
Does that actually work? I'd think that they'd just have a good laugh and then sternly tell you that the bill is the bill, that they call the shots, NOT you - and that you'd better pay the full amount ASAP or else.
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