The idea of Medicare for all needs a second look at the proposal that sound grat from a distance, while looking inside may not be that great.
The transition to a plan like the one Sen. Bernie Sanders has proposed would be enormously expensive, more than $30 trillion over a 10-year period by some estimates.
Ban private insurance would displace nearly 177 million people from their health insurance plans, including over 156 million from employer-based health insurance which for many employees is the reason they took the job in the first place.
And for employers, health insurance provides a tax deduction, which is an incentive for stretching the budget and hiring. A transition to Medicare for All would be a definite job killer, affecting millions more in addition to the close to 2 million health care workers who would be displaced from their jobs in the transition.
Hospitals make more money on private health insurance, so a transition to 100% government-based insurance would mean less income for hospitals income frequently diverted to support research and academics.
Even if the end result is less expensive, because of government-negotiated prices, it will also be less supportive of medical centers.
Hospitals make more money on private health insurance, so a transition to 100% government-based insurance would mean less income for hospitals income frequently diverted to support research and academics.
Even if the end result is less expensive, because of government-negotiated prices, it will also be less supportive of medical centers.
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