Medicare for All has been gaining considerable traction in American left-wing political circles over the last year, becoming a key platform position for many Democratic candidates in the lead-up to the 2018 midterms and the 2020 Presidential election. If the proposal were enacted, private insurance would be eliminated and the American health care system would effectively be run by the government.
When examined critically, it is clear that Medicare for All is unsustainable and ultimately just another name for single-payer health care. The United States would be causing great harm to patients by adopting this policy that, by all standards, is not sound.
This mistake has been made by other countries before: In January 2016, about 37,000 medical professionals in Britain went on strike to protest the poor working conditions of the country’s government-run health care system.
A 2016 report from Investor’s Business Daily describes strikes, saying: “This is the sort of disaster that can happen only when physicians are government employees. [. . .] Britain’s resource-challenged socialized medicine has been chasing away doctors for years.” Britain’s National Health Service (NHS) has long been overburdened, and the country’s universal health care system has given way to a full-on health care crisis, with emergency room patients waiting hours for treatment, vital surgeries being postponed, hospitals being dangerously overcrowded, and doctors working extensive hours.
America’s future faces a similar risk if Medicare for All becomes a reality. If American physicians went on strike, hundred of thousands of American patients would suffer while the health care system descended into chaos. Americans deserve to make their own health care decisions and receive the treatment they choose—this liberty will be eliminated if we enact Medicare for All.
Read the full Investor’s Business Daily report here: Britain’s Health Care: So Bad, Doctors Don’t Even Want To Practice There
I have private insurance paid for 100% through my employer and am so thankful! I just had emergency surgery and everything was covered and I had a good surgeon. As we get older (55) we learn health issues happen. The younger generations don’t understand what it is to not be invincible! No Medicare for all or single player! Keep the government out of my personal business!
Memo to Congress: How about your medical program for all ? That way you won’t have to mess around with Medicare! After all, you work for the American people who pay for and deserve the same medical plan you and your family enjoy !
Ballard S. Carte III
We need prescription drug price drop, I am on Humira that cost over $5000.00 my plan D still cost me aprox. $1700 per month. I have a part time job, social security and a decent retirement but no body I know can afford costs like this
The “pre-existing condition” mantra was a political success for the Democrats in the mid-terms. They used emotional persuasion while ignoring basic insurance principles. I think Republicans could “repackage” this to try to be a little more sensible about curtailing the costs of “insuring barns already on fire”.
Republicans should make an ACA cost containment proposal using similar types of pre-existing condition protections used for years in Medicare B & D late enrollment (increase +10% per year on B, or a bit stiffer as on D). Present it as the way Medicare handles it – and to listen to liberals, everybody loves Medicare! Penalties for late enrollment would help reduce ACA pre-x cost significantly. Presumably, late enrollment penalties work, or Medicare wouldn’t use them (along with limited enrollment periods) to help reduce the costs of “buying” pre-x claims.
Republicans should also completely repackage and rename “short term plans”, while keeping all of the new advantages. Historically, short term plans have had a deservedly bad rap (not covering pre-x at all, no renewability options, etc.). People definitely don’t understand the new better rules.
I was disappointed when I realized (early on) that President Trump doesn’t understand anything about any of this, nor does he want to learn anything about it. Also disappointed that Republicans failed to repeal and replace ACA. Democrats just stressed the “repeal” part, and Republicans were too politically frightened to offer a viable reasonable replacement.
Will senators and representatives be exempt to join in Medicare?
If anyone thinks that a government health program is a good ideal and we, as a country, need to have it, then you should join the military and when you get out, enroll in the VA program. I waited 8 years to have knee surgery. I was told by a doctor when I have health insurance that I needed to have my left knee replace, this was in 2005. I lost my job shortly after that and had to go to the VA for health care. Told my VA dr. that I was having problems with my knee. They X-rayed it and said it would be 3 or more years before they would operate on it. In 2013, I turned 65 and had medicare, but still using the VA. But after awhile, I noticed that everything that I had done at the VA, they were billing my Medicare, so that the money was not leaving the VA budget. In 2015 I had to have both knees replaced. No, not the VA. Since the VA was billing medicare, I chose a regular Ortho dr. I now have Arthritis in my back, due to the way I was walking to favor my knees and have had to have my left hip replaced. According to my Ortho dr., all related to the way I had to walk for the past 10 years.
My medicine that I get from the VA, I have to cut most of them in half. They evidently don’t order the 50 mg tablets BP med, that I have to take 50mg 3 times a day, to disperse, so they send me the 100mg to cut in half. I had my annual physical 2 weeks ago and the dr. ordered an X-ray of my shoulder. Said they would be in contact with me. Two weeks later and I have not heard a word. Called to have my ears rechecked, have to wear hearing aides, this was in October, I got the earliest appointment, Jan 4 2019.
Government funded health care, I have it. You don’t want it.
I hope lots of people read this. It is very similar to the Canadian province funded system. See fraserinstitute.org for Canadian research including wait times by diagnosis and province. Also CBC, Toronto Star articles in Jan 2019 & Feb 2019. Health Minister of Ontario Christine Elliott is trying to overhaul the Ontario debacle which was started in 1965-66. The year we moved to Canada from the USA. Our brother-in -law recently died waiting for a heart bypass surgery in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. We moved from that province to Florida.
The whole idea that healthcare is a right places healthcare providers in the roles of slaves. If someone has a right to something you have, you must give it to them and are owed nothing for it. It’s theirs. Single payer offers to compensate providers. But at what cost? Everyone knows that bureaucrats are great at “any excuse will do” in order to deny a claim. With all that, why would anyone want to be a medical professional? There are no payoffs for excellence. Think of the quality in just a few short years. The truth is that people have a right to seek health. Nothing more.
I’ve been working since I was twelve years old…it has taken me 55 years of hard work and contributing to Medicare to finally qualify for it for myself and i’m still working full time at 67! And now the Demoncrats want to willy nilly give it to who?! To (desperados) unthankful and demanding brats to say the least…to (illegal immigrants) a people who have no appreciation or respect for law abiding hard working people like me! You cannot break down someone’s door and help yourself to other peoples goods then expect to be accepted by the family you just destroyed. Democrats themselves care nothing for these people other than to get their votes. Let George Soros and Bill Gates and Warren Buffet and the Clintons and the Obamas and the likes buy medical insurance for those who cant afford it!! So sad that the Democrats take advantage of ignorant uneducated people and fill their heads with false hopes and dreams that will destroy them in the end for surely they will reap what they sow.
I am a legal immigrant from Canada . I know how bad Socialized medicine is first hand. My father and my aunt died because they couldn’t receive the treatment they needed in a timely manner. Entire wings of hospitals are closed due to the fact that each hospital receives only a set amount of funding. Of course young people with no significant health problems will tell you how great the system is… they haven’t had to wait months for an MRI or even to see your family doctor if you can find one. Comparatively speaking, we have wonderful healthcare here in our great country and we should fight tooth and nail against this growing push toward Socialized medicine!
Sounds like socialism. We DO NOT WANT it.
We Do Not! Vote for people to run or, manage ANYTHING! When they do they FAIL!
They are put in office to “clear the way” for We The People! to create, run and manage EVERYTHING….
How did we get to the Moon.
We The People!
How did we win WWII
We The People!
How did we invent airplanes.
We The People!
How did we invent electricaty, phones & computers We The People!
Government-run healthcare would not be a system designed to deliver healthcare. Like Social Security is no longer retirement insurance, Medicare is a political program that functions primarily to win over voters. Why on Earth would we turn the greatest healthcare system in the world into just one more massive Cash for Clunkers program? Why?
Join the discussion…
What is most important to all of us seniors is what does this mean to the Medicare system that we were all basically forced to contribute to for most of our lives with the promise that we would be taken care of in our time of need. However, Jose, Abdul, Bao, Patel, and other immigrants (legal and illegal) are almost immediately placed into the Medicare program. As a U.S. born Vet, I found out the hard way. The VA program let me down, so I thought that Medicare would certainly help my wife and I of 45 years through our time of need. I actually bought AARP recommended supplemental insurance to cover 100% of all charges that Medicare wouldn’t cover at $1000.00 a month thru United Healthcare for over 5 years. When my wife became sick and so did I at the same time, we both were hospitalized and while in recovery of brain surgery, my wife passed away right next to me and I spent almost one year in hospice only to come to the realization that United Healthcare and Medicare hadn’t covered most of all our expenses. After having lost my home and all of my assets, I am left with over one million dollars in health care bills which I am sure that I will never have enough time left in my life to repay.
The positive is that I have found a few doctors out there that are as upset about government intervention in healthcare that have kept me alive on the basis of pay whatever I can as I can.
If Medicare for all isn’t a solution and theACA isn’t how do you propose forcallAmericans to have access to decent healthcare. We have people dying everyday in this country becasuse they have no healthcare. The loss of life and loss of work potential is costomgvthis country billions of dollars. The AMA supported the ACA . So did the AHA. Where are you getting your ideas that American physicians will strike if we have a one payer system?
The problem with trying to provide a free service is that the only way a service can be provided free is by the use of slavery. When you turn your medical personnel into slaves, you lose all hope of attracting good people to the profession. We are getting the idea by watching how it has (not) worked in other countries.
In Brazil, their doctors haven’t been paid for 8 months. Some of the doctors who have been practicing medicine for years are able to weather the storm, but new ones, just out of medical school cannot because they have all their student debt to repay. With no income, they are either leaving medicine for some other line of work or leaving the country. Unfortunately for them, when they immigrate, their medical training is not always accepted by their new host country and so they cannot practice medicine as doctors there either. So, some of them take positions as ambulance staff or something.
Ahh, Socialism. Those who push for such things are ignorant & lazy TAKERS!
We’re certainly not for the Medicare for all. And we voted for The Republican plan. The system needs adjusting , but definitely not for all.
I don’t want Medicare and have no say in the matter. Communism
It is so bad here that not many doctors are willing to take Medicare patients. I still haven’t found a doctor to go to that takes my medicare.
Government can’t manage Medicare as it is now, how will they manage it if everyone is on it? Plus, this is nothing but socialized medicine. Just a step closer to Alinsky’s plan. Very bad idea.