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2016 Postmortem
Showing Original Post only (View all)Democrats Unite, But What Happened To ‘Medicare For All’? [View all]
"Most health policy analysts including those who are sympathetic to the idea say moving from the current U.S. public-private hybrid health system to one fully funded by the government in one step is basically impossible. And thats making a huge assumption that it could get through Congress.
To try to do it in one fell swoop would be massively disruptive, said Paul Starr, a professor at Princeton who was a health policy adviser to President Bill Clinton."
.....................................................................................
And its not just the private insurance industry (which would effectively be put out of business) that could feel the impact to the bottom line. Parts of the health care industry that lawmakers want to help, like rural hospitals, could inadvertently get hurt, too. Many rural hospitals get paid so little by Medicare that they only survive on higher private insurance payments. Yet under single-payer, those payments would go away and some could not make it financially. You would not want to wipe out a third of the hospitals in Minnesota by accident, Pollack said. And you could, if payments to hospitals end up too low.
Pollack agreed, and pointed out its not just the health care industry that could revolt. When the Affordable Care Act was rolled out in 2013, he said, the people who couldnt keep their old plans a very tiny number as a percent of Americans were furious. We saw how difficult that was and how angry the public was when that promise wasnt kept. Now imagine the major shift wed have to do to move to a single payer system.
To try to do it in one fell swoop would be massively disruptive, said Paul Starr, a professor at Princeton who was a health policy adviser to President Bill Clinton."
.....................................................................................
And its not just the private insurance industry (which would effectively be put out of business) that could feel the impact to the bottom line. Parts of the health care industry that lawmakers want to help, like rural hospitals, could inadvertently get hurt, too. Many rural hospitals get paid so little by Medicare that they only survive on higher private insurance payments. Yet under single-payer, those payments would go away and some could not make it financially. You would not want to wipe out a third of the hospitals in Minnesota by accident, Pollack said. And you could, if payments to hospitals end up too low.
Pollack agreed, and pointed out its not just the health care industry that could revolt. When the Affordable Care Act was rolled out in 2013, he said, the people who couldnt keep their old plans a very tiny number as a percent of Americans were furious. We saw how difficult that was and how angry the public was when that promise wasnt kept. Now imagine the major shift wed have to do to move to a single payer system.
http://khn.org/news/democrats-unite-but-what-happened-to-medicare-for-all/
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How did implementation of Medicare go? People have plenty of experience with Medicare,
merrily
Jul 2016
#5
Regardless, the implementation went fine and it's in place now. That wheel does not have to be
merrily
Jul 2016
#12
Poster, please. What in hell does what most people want have to do with what gets through Congress?
merrily
Jul 2016
#25
Actually, I don't agree with the negative parts of your article to which you cling.
merrily
Jul 2016
#21
If there is a public option and one for people over 55 that takes the heat off Healthcare,
applegrove
Jul 2016
#28