Second Largest Physicians Group in US Has New Prescription: It's Medicare for All

[guillaumeb]

From the article:

The fight for Medicare for All received a two-handed boost from tens of thousands of doctors on Monday when the American College of Physicians—in a move described as a "seachange for the medical professions"—officially endorsed a single-payer system as among only one of two possible ways to improve the nation's healthcare woes.
Representing 159,000 doctors of internal medicine nationwide, the ACP is the largest medical specialty society and second-largest physician group in the country overall after the American Medical Association (AMA)…..

Although the United States leads the world in health care spending, it fares far worse than its peers on coverage and most dimensions of value. Cost and coverage are intertwined. Many Americans cannot affford health insurance, and even those with insurance face substantial cost-related barriers to care. Employer-sponsored insurance is less prevalent and more expensive than in the past, and in response, deductibles have grown and benefits have been cut.

The long-term solvency of U.S. public insurance programs is a perennial concern. The United States spends far more on healthcare administration than peer countries. Administrative barriers divert time from patient care and frustrate patients, clinicians, and policymakers. Major changes are needed to a system that costs too much, leaves too many behind, and delivers too little.

To read more:

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/01/20/historic-shift-second-largest-physicians-group-us-has-new-prescription-its-medicare?cd-origin=rss&utm_term=AO&utm_campaign=Daily%20Newsletter&utm_content=email&utm_source=Daily%20Newsletter&utm_medium=Email

The industries that make their money by restricting access to healthcare will lie to us and try to convince us that the country cannot afford Medicare for All.

But given the fact that other countries provide better coverage for less, often 1/2 of what the US spends per capita, that lie cannot stand.

The truth is that this country cannot afford the current, profit centered system.

[blm]

1. Kicking this

[kacekwl]

2. Healthcare for all is

the single best thing that can happen to this country. However we get there.

[Hoyt]

3. The other mechanism the ACP endorsed is the Public Option. You gotta read stuff from Common Dreams

closely. Even Bernie Sanders missed the obvious.

"While it [the ACP's Report] did not say that Medicare for All was the only way to achieve a more equitable, accessible, and sustainable healthcare system, the ACP laid out four key recommendations for achieving universal coverage in the United States. They are:

1. The American College of Physicians recommends that the United States transition to a system that achieves universal coverage with essential benefits and lower administrative costs.

2. Coverage should not be dependent on a person's place of residence, employment, health status, or income.

3. Coverage should ensure sufficient access to clinicians, hospitals, and other sources of care.

4. Two options could achieve these objectives: a single-payer financing approach, or a publicly financed coverage option to be offered along with regulated private insurance."

The ACP's Report is available here: https://annals.org/aim/fullarticle/2759528/envisioning-better-u-s-health-care-system-all-call-action

[guillaumeb]

6. Some European countries allow for some private coverage.

And these non-profit companies are strictly regulated.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

10. it's the regulation that will be sabotaged

[guillaumeb]

12. That is where the fight would be.

And that is where we should demand that our Democratic representatives represent the best interest of the citizens, not the industries that profit from the current system.

[questionseverything]

16. if we had a truely affordable public option private insurance would disappear on its own

so the big insurance companies will not let that happen any more than they did when Obama promised it

[RobertDevereaux]

4. Elsewhere in this article...

“While the ACP in its backing of a single-payer approach also co-endorsed the more incremental step of creating a federally-administered "public option" as a pathway to universal coverage, Drs. Steffie Himmelstein and David Woolhandler, co-founders of Physician for a National Health Program (PNHP), argue the latter would be an inferior avenue if the aim is to cover everyone while reducing overall costs.”

[guillaumeb]

7. True, and this is due to many built in inefficiencies

in the current system.

Healthcare providers would still need a large staff to navigate the many different plans. And this would reduce the real savings that would come from a single payer system.

[riversedge]

5. #MFA

[guillaumeb]

8. We truly cannot afford the repsent, dysfunctional, system.

But the industries and individuals that profit from the current system will do all that they can to protect their profits.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

9. In a nutshell: "costs too much, leaves too many behind, and delivers too little."

[guillaumeb]

11. Yes, this perfectly describes the current system.

But it does allow the rich to profit at our expense.

[Tiggeroshii]

13. Let's get this done, then!

No dilly dallying!!

[guillaumeb]

14. It is the best way to solve a huge problem.

And Medicare is a known quantity that people like.

[Recursion]

15. But the much larger AMA opposes it

You're just not going to get most physicians to sign up for the pay cut MFA would mean for them

[guillaumeb]

17. Profits over patients?

Sad, but true of some.