HEALTHY PERSPECTIVE: Nurses “Interested In Expanding Coverage That Builds On The Existing System”

As some Members of Congress continue to push for a one-size-fits-all health care system, known as Medicare for All,Forbes reports that the American Nurses Association – which represents four million nurses throughout the nation – isn’t on board with such proposals to “replace much of the private system, moving Americans into an expanded government-run Medicare program,” which would cost trillions of dollars and force families to pay more:

Like many national physician groups, nurses generally support universal health coverage, but they aren’t all ready to throw their weight behind a Medicare for All approach that would upend the private insurance industry’s role in administering health benefits.  Nurses, like the doctor groups, tend to be interested in expanding coverage that builds on the existing system.  The ANA, which is a professional organization that says it represents four million nurses, has been a key supporter of the Affordable Care Act signed into law in 2010 by President Barack Obama.

Meanwhile, despite claims by the bill’s supporters that there is “a groundswell of grass-roots enthusiasm” for their costly, disruptive plan, a recent poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that support for Medicare for All plummets once respondents are informed it would eliminate the choice and control they enjoy through market-based coverage, and most voters – including most Democratic voters – want Congress to focus instead on protecting and improving upon what works in America’s health care system.