Imagine that Russia – or China – wanted to hit Americans where it would hurt. What would they do? How could they most efficiently undermine America’s ability to stay strong? The best way would be to undermine us physically. That would also be fastest. But how?
One way would be to promote drug abuse, running over young Americans by promoting addiction. Put aside money-makers behind marijuana legalization, note China is where fentanyl comes from – along with many precursor chemicals used in deadly synthetics and methamphetamine. Note the Soviet Union’s erstwhile leader, Nikita Khrushchev, advocated promoting illegal drugs in America.
But think bigger. How could an adversary who wished us ill, turn our nation upside down in a hurry – making us literally ill? The obvious answer is to destroy America’s healthcare system, diminishing the ability to stay well – and bringing down 20 percent of the US economy.
How best to do that? Attack hospitals? Medical schools? Reservoirs? Food supply? No, none of those would be effective for long. None would affect more than a smattering of Americans.
They would have to undermine the entire system. They would have to destroy the incentive behind medical schools attracting top students and creating top doctors, destroy the free-market forces that encourage pharmaceutical companies to produce state-of-the-art medicine, and shut hospitals down. They would have to demoralize those who make, administer and use America’s life-saving health care.
How could anyone do that? How could an adversary throw our cutting-edge medical system into disarray, destroying the economic power and physical advantages which attend it?
The answer is simple: Destroy the incentive mix that encourages life-saving medical care. Reduce diagnosis and treatment options, destroy the quality, proven effectiveness, incentive to innovate, inspire, conduct path-breaking medical research and create quality medical professionals.
And how? By destroying return on investment that comes from being a doctor, medical researcher, practitioner and quality medical institution, bankrupting the hospitals, labs and learning centers; undermining pharmaceutical companies, providers and investors; blocking free market forces that fuel our state-of-the-art medical industry. This, in turn, would weaken American confidence in their own healthcare system, undermining options, quality, economy and health.
In short, push “Medicare for all,” so American voters fall for socialist nirvana, and call it a day. This is so much cheaper and more effective than mass hacking, cyberwarfare, conventional or nuclear war. The Americans will never know what hit them, between promoting drug abuse and destroying their health care.
If you think this is just Tom Clancy stuff, maybe a post-Mueller conspiracy, you may be right – but only barely. Here are sobering facts. As reported in a recent New York Times article, fittingly entitled “Hospitals Stand to Lose Billions Under ‘Medicare for All’,” we are gambling – even now. Any presidential candidate who supports “Medicare for All” is nuts – or perhaps “colluding.”
All jesting aside, the facts are clear. By way of example, a knee replacement typically costs about $37,000 if privately insured, and patient, insurer, hospital and manufacturer end happy. Under Medicare, that same surgery gives a hospital $17,000, less than half the real cost. Likewise, gallbladder removal is about $8,000 if privately insured, but a hospital gets $4,200 under Medicare – about half.
So, what gives? The answer is – everything. If Medicare is expanded to “all,” America’s hospitals, private insurers, manufacturers and patients would all be losers – and immediately. Quality care and options contract as patients get fewer choices, hospitals fail and go under, manufacturers stop researching, investing and just go cheap.
Private insurers would diminish, then vanish. Medical schools would discover that – without a payday, entrants are less inspired, qualified and incentivized. The system would shudder, crack and begin to fail.
Our adversaries would, of course, celebrate – until they needed American medicine, which many of them oddly do. If you doubt this prognosis, consult even the New York Times. In that recent article, they admit “the yawning gap between payments to hospitals by Medicare and by private health insurers for the same medical services may prove the biggest obstacle for advocates of ‘Medicare for all’, a government-run system.” No kidding?
To the point: “If Medicare for all abolished private insurance and reduced rates to Medicare levels — at least 40 percent lower … there would most likely be significant changes throughout the health care industry, which makes up 18 percent of the nation’s economy and is one of the nation’s largest employers.”
What kind of changes? “Some hospitals, especially struggling rural centers, would close virtually overnight, according to policy experts.” What else? “Others, they say, would try to offset the steep cuts by laying off hundreds of thousands of workers and abandoning lower-paying services like mental health.”
Anything more? “The prospect of such violent upheaval for existing institutions has begun to stiffen opposition to Medicare for all proposals and to rattle health care stocks,” since the endgame is terminal – which sounds bad.
Bottom line: Lovely “Medicare for All,” in parlance of old America, is a crock. The idea would make our adversaries happy, and most Americans unhappy, unwell, and undeniably disappointed. The idea is a non-starter.
If even the New York Times had begun to cast rocks at this glass house of socialized medicine – “Medicare for All” and “Quality for None” – you know the thing is doomed. A candidate that embraces it should face a similar fate. But don’t count this idea dead yet – Russia, China and Democrats are mulling it. Just be ready.
No to Medicare for all unless use free market to compete in prices & services. Nationwide.
I agree with Mr. Russell….The Gov’mnt should NOT be our policy holder!
I guess one question I have is would our federal elected representative’s continue to keep there government funded Cadillac plan or would they also enjoy the benefits of Medicare for All? How about other Federal, State and municipal employees and union members. I can’t picture them accepting a reduction in care. So how do they apply for an exemption?
No to Medicare for all.
I for one, Do Not want the Government in charge of my Health Care!!!
As I’ve stated in previous comments, the enemy is here and they are “us”! The mantra for too many Americans today is to ask not what you can do for your country, but what your country can do for you. “Free” this, “free” that (I was taught from a young age that there ain’t nothin’ free). How is the “progressive” left allowed to even entertain their non-sensical ideas, let alone gain traction with so many voters? Answer: because of total lack of understanding of things work and because they are exercising ZERO critical thought. To even think about these newest “give-away programs” is insane, considering a $22,200,000,000,000+ national debt and growing! How to help fix health care in America? Get the government OUT of it…THEY are the problem, not the solution! We need to go in the opposite direction–more free-market competition…make the hospitals and doctors fight for our business. History shows that this will drive down costs while increasing efficiencies and ingenuity. We also need to accept there is never going to be a perfect solution–that would be utopia. But perhaps if we weren’t such fools about government spending, we might be in a position to offer temporary assistance to those who are truly needy. I could go on and on but I’ll stop here.
Let’s talk Bernie …30+ years in the Senate…
390+ Bills backed,…..3 become “laws”….What a
record! This is who you want to lead us? Get real !!!!
Keep the government out of health care! Period! Whenever government gets involved in a program, that program gets filled with rot, corruption and substandardization very quickly. Socialized medicine is no different. Those who support it should be asked what kind of kickback they’re receiving. Just like AARP did with Obamacare.
All because of the Liberal Left.
They want to destroy our country.
MAGA
Hmmm! If all Americans were to get “Medicare” for all they will find that it isn’t FREE. I am getting ready to retire and am in the process of applying for medicare. Just the basic plan will cost me $135.00 per month and I will have to pay 20%of all my medical costs. That’s really expensive if you need any kind of surgery. So, you have to shop and go to countless seminars to figure out which supplement is most affordable and best for you. Those supplements are not free they are 300-400 per month to help with the extra costs. SO BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU ASK FOR, YOU JUST MIGHT GET IT!! Then what will the “I want everything for free people” do? When they realize they’ve been lied to, yet again, by a politician trying to get elected. Suck it up, get a job, and buy what you want not what’s forced upon you that turns out not to be what they led you to believe it will be. Remember how AFFORDABLE Obamacare was supposed to be? NOT!! Remember you can keep your doctor and your current plan if you want to? NOT!!
And Medicare for all will NOT be free !!! Wake up Democrat’s NOTHING is free!! ?
I have been arguing that Medicare is not all that cheap or comprehensive for most patients. That most of us old folks have supplemental private insurance to help cover what Basic Medicare does not cover and the result is pretty substantial out-of-pocket medical costs for seniors each year including some deductibles and co-pays. Yet this “Medicare for all” discussion seems to imply that would solve everyone’s healthcare needs. It won’t. Based on what my wife and I pay each year without vision or dental coverage, I extended our cost for a family of five and it amounted to out-of-pocket costs of over $16,000 ignoring the deductibles, co-pays, and what Medicare doesn’t cover. Should you look at Medicare Advantage, that is purely private insurance with issues of its own.
Here’s a thought, even Prez. Obama, senators and representatives didn’t have to take the great Obamacare!! They exempted themselves from the inadequacies and high cost of the plan, as they were telling us that it was the best thing ever developed in healthcare!! Hmmmm makes you think right? It should!!
This Medicare farce is another inadequate ruse they’re using to get your vote!! Wake up America, before it’s too late!!
Scares the bejesus out of me!
No to Medicare for all. I don’t think the under 65 know that it’s not free and covers 80%. Allow health insurance providers to compete across state lines.
Re: Socialized Medicine: Several years ago, when I was visiting my sister-in-law in Italy, she became ill one night. She was Diabetic Type One. I tried to call her daughter; no answer. I called their version of 911. They arrived, wanted to take her to the hospital, my sis-in-law refused. I asked why. She said they would let her die. Her daughter agreed. This scared me. Our youth have to be educated to know that Socialism, Communism doesn’t work. Nothing is Free. Why don’t they believe that part at least? God help us and God bless America.
Okay, let’s say that Medicare For All passes (God forbid). If everything is free, who pays the doctors, nurses, etc.? Don’t they have mtges? How do they pay for it if we don’t pay a fee before leaving the office? Am I being too simple? Oh, wait, the govt. pays them. How does the govt. get the money to pay them. Oh, raise taxes….duh.
Ever Notice; The ones that contribute the least, demand the most. Example Rep. Jerry Nadler (NY)
He ate himself to morbid obesity on the taxpayers dime, then the taxpayer paid for his lap band
surgery and what has he contributed: an endless investigation and 1 million new takers so far
(illegal immigrants). All of this charged to the national credit card and the cards over drawn.
In Joe Biden’s Presidential candidate announcement this morning, (paraphrasing) another 4 years of President Trump will “forever and fundamentally change” America. How could he even utter those words as we look at the progressive “platform” (if we can even call it that) with abolishing the electoral college, open borders, free medicare for all, free college for all, free childcare, free, free, free, etc…. when are people going to wake up and realize that there is NOTHING free…someone, somewhere has to pay for it …and…it will be US.
Hey, Robert, Russia does not have to do anything to paralyze us. We do it all by ourselves. Not just for “Medicare for All”but what of prisoners voting rights, drug abuses, exploitation, foreigners allowed in our country from different parts of the world and we even pay them to exist here. The list is endless as our own compatriots advocate and have set their minds to destroy everything that is fair, noble, beautiful, rewarding and free.
Simply put, there will be no Medicare/Medicaid/healthcare coverage for all. Brains that are there to come up with a truly viable system have far more important issue to deal with than to get involved with politicians and government.
If Government run healthcare is so good, explain the VA. Nuff said.
Bernie Sanders needs to read this excellent article.
Where I live, we lost our small hospital last December as part of several operated by a network of others which also shut down for being “unprofitable”. Smaller hospitals can’t afford the costs of most high tech, specialized equipment necessary to treat conditions that just a few years ago were treated in less costly ways. Medical practice has also taken the road to specialization more than to general practice. Even when you have a family doctor, many times they will refer you to a specialist rather than just treat you themself. Many small hospital groups as well as “doc-in-a-box” clinics now utilize rotating physicians and nurse practitioners who travel around to different locations so you may not see the same doctor each time you visit. Things have certainly changed over the years, and sometimes I question if it’s been for the better. Back in the late 1920’s, my Mom’s brother went to the family doctor’s office where his tonsils were removed. After he had recovered enough from the ether, he walked several blocks home. In 1990, I had a bleeding ulcer that required laser cauterization. I was in the hospital a couple of days and had a thing on wheels holding an IV bag which I could roll with me to the bathroom and shower. A couple of years ago, I had another ulcer incident and was “wired down” by so many monitor connections and an IV metering stand I couldn’t easily roll over in bed and had to be unplugged from all of the connections to go to the bathroom. On the third day, I insisted on checking out of the hospital even when they wanted me to stay longer. Sometimes, I think it’s more about the $$$ than necessity.
Agreed!
The government can’t even handle VA hospitals and they are going to run Medicare for all? Bernie Sanders is smoke and mirrors along with the rest of the liberal socialist nitwits!
How could it be free. I’ve been working for 52 years now and paid into Social Security and Medicare. It’s not been free for me. How would that be fair for me and others who have paid into it for so long? And the fact that the government has already dipped into it and they have been saying for years that it is going to run out of money at anytime? Where are they getting the money to pay for everyone!!?? I am a doubter, and do not think this would be a good idea. I do think it is time for the American people to take back this once Great Country!!
Why can’t everything be free… not for thee, just for me? This is how the socialist mind works. Socialism must be eradicated.
I would like to know why healthcare providers aren’t required to post their fees like other businesses. Why does an insured patient get a 50% discount on a surgery and the uninsured get hit with the whole price?. Why do we have PPO ‘s? If the state allows the insurance to be sold to it’s citizens, why does this insurance pay for the facility of the policy holders choice? Cost would be greatly reduced and force healthcare facilities to improve efficiency and care. Why did my insurance premium triple the day I turned 65, forcing me onto medicare.?
From the elites, it comes down to this: Medical care for me, but not for thee!
“Medicare for all” is a socialist pipe dream. But wait a minute, there are a great many who CALL themselves “conservatives” who have socialist tendencies too. President Trump has promised to repeal obamacare, and replace it with “something else”, and a great many, so called, conservatives support this. But that`s socialism too. Understand this simple FACT: There is ZERO authority provided per the United States Constitution for government to own, provide, mandate, or direct healthcare. Period.
I would say attacking 5 strategic electrical grids could shut down our entire country!
Just think, Medicare as it is today will be bankrupt in just a few years. If we started paying Hospitals, Doctors and other medical professionals only the current Medicare rates, they would all go out of business. At present, we can not count on our government to make the right changes, do the right things. Who in the world would want to give the government full control of any thing relating to health? Check out the VA if you want. Sending our amazing military people to war at home or in far away countries, and not address the only health care program available to them… Like expanding the VA, making it accountable, etc. Sure if you like failures, let them move to Medicare for All. In this way, we can all suffer the same. We’ll have insurance for all, but not good medical care for all. And we will all pay through the nose for ?????
Little late in answering so who will read
what I have to say. ! Drs get gobs of education in drugs which are foreign to our bodies. We don’t eat them to stay alive!!!we eat food which is nutrition SO if something goes wrong in our bodies look to bad nutrition.
It costs a lot to go through medical school but it costs a lot to get advice from that doctor who gets mostly how to give you what drug does what Insurance must be high to pay those bills.
I keep Medicare just in case I break something. And keep the bill lower than paying a doctor thousands more than what the bill would be otherwise. It’s like paying for when you need it
In installments before you need it!!!
If it’s free to all. Who WILL pay the doctor , His help , his office rent, equipment Will the doctor work for nothing??! Who will give to them all they need to help us.
Let’s ask socialists those questions.
Maybe Pelosi or Geo Soris????!
This is designed to appeal to that lg cohort, growing daily: those who dont work. This includes traditional welfare types, illegals as well as millenials who chose majors based on fantasies and who are thus unemployable. I recently met a thirty something couple. She told me her dad told her she could major in whatever she wanted, but if it wasnt a practical choice he wasnt paying. Iow, no pyschology degrees dearly paid for to then leave a twenty two yr old aimlessly wandering. She chose wisely and has a great job today. Many of us were afraid to be hard as ses. Letting kids fritter away four yrs earning je k off degrees is one result.
There is no such thing as a “Free Lunch” . Socialists are promising everything to everyone and will never be able to afford it as they will run out of OUR MONEY first. Anyone believing their BS needs to wake up and think for themselves. Other than hollow lies the socialists don’t have anything to offer Americans.
Wrong. This is socialized medicine. Know what SOCIALISM isI and where it leads.
It has always been my contention (at least since 1969) that the Chinese were the ones supplying cheap drugs indirectly to the US military in Vietnam. What better way to ruin the morale of a group who then would return to America and influence their friends to participate in drug use? This too is an attack on our health care system and has caused many lives to be ruined.
Communist Russia won !!!!! Wrecking this country without firing a shot as they said they would do. Our youth have poisoned minds , and are drug addicted . It’s like China and the opium dens.
No to Medicare for all
I’m all for Medicare For All at age of 66.5 after you have paid into Medicare all your working life like I have.
Even then Medicare isn’t cheap, by the time you pay your premium get supplemental prescription dental vision coverages.
People that aren’t on Medicare have no Idea it isn’t Free. That word needs to be put out into the public square and fast‼️
A Medicare for ALL would COST a lot of money because the government would take a HUGE BITE out of all of the funds that the government would make ALL tax payers pay for the ability to just let ALL people get medicare for ALL get healthcare and the FACTS that the healthcare would go down because of the influx of ALL of the people just trying to get the usage of those healthcare for ALL because there would be a huge influx of people that would use the healthcare because of the healthcare would cause a LOT of people with almost no healthcare because they could not afford to get their own healthcare and used the public hospitals if they could not fix their problem on their own
Anyone who works and draws a salary already has Medicare and with those funds will bring much needed benefits when the worker retires. Those who don’t work already have medicaid so why would they need Medicare unless they are over 65 and by law must be on Medicare. Those who have Obamacare are the only ones who would benefit if medicare was expanded, however, Democrats do not want the Medicare expanded to cover all since to do that every American living here would have to pay a premium to help offset the costs of medical care. Now if the Democrats would be willing to canvas all Americans and not just those registered to the Democrat Party, and ask them if putting everyone on medicare would be beneficial to themselves at a premium for each family member of lets say for price sake a fee of 250.00 a month for each person then maybe this could be an alternative to Medicaid and Obamacare, OH I see, those on Medicaid and Obamacare can not pay for these premiums, hummmmmm, I wonder who would be once again be asked to pay for those not already covered by employer insurance and those of us who have already paid into Medicare all our working lives, yep!!! you have that right 83% of all taxpayers would be paying for it that means us. Retired, working people and the wealthy you know those people who provide jobs for all others who are willing to work.
I have checked with my Doctor and Dentist. My doctor will only keep long time patents. My dentist said you are immediately dropped. Unless you pay the difference. If you can’t, you screwed. (At least he was honest).
A quick way to bankrupt the nation. Impossible to pay for it under current taxes.
‘Medicare for all’? Fancy deceiving name meant to make it sound good. Don’t fall for it people. ‘Garbage Medical for all’ would be a better name, or at least a more truthful name.
So once again the socialists strike. I am really tired of supporting people who do not pay their own way by working.
People who believe they want Medicare are those who do not understand it – it is not ” free “. Subscribers are liable for co pays deductibles and premiums. Certainly most company paid plans are better for patients. People need to do a little research before jumping on “free for all” bandwagons.
Not to mention that the US imports a number of prescription drugs from China and India (each from factories with little to no oversight), but they don’t allow reimportation of US-manufactured drugs from Canada. This statement summarized an article published by Peoples Pharmacy entitled, IS THE FDA PUTTING AMERICAN AT RISK WITH CHINESE DRUG IMPORTS? The article was published in 2016.
“So let me get this straight. Congress passes Part D, not allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices. Drug prices rocket up so Americans
start getting drugs from Canada. Congress makes reimportation of American-made drugs illegal, citing safety concerns. Now they allow
importation of drugs made with no oversight, and obviously dangerous to the public, from India and China. Lobbying Congress
apparently works.
“Profits always come before people in America.”
Personally thought to switch my BP meds from eScripts to Walmart Pharmacy. I’m finding there is quite a difference in the effect of one of the pills that I happened to have some from both places. The Walmart drug seems to work only half as well, if that much. So may have to get doctor to switch pharmacies again. I figure Walmart just might be getting that particular drug from a supplier who is a recipient of supplies from China or India.
I can imagine drugs used in a Medicare for All situation would no doubt come from there.
I’m against Medicare for all for obvious reasons BUT I do think the health system overcharges for services. They make PLENTY of money….obvious by the number of facilities they continue to buy up or build in every neighborhood. Who else has that kind of money…oh right, the drug stores/pharmaceutical backed organizations too. I’m grateful of our execellent healthcare BUT I think services could be cut by 20% and it would still survive just fine!