Let’s Focus On Building On What’s Working In Health Care

WASHINGTON – As the unaffordable costs and consequences of Medicare for All dominate headlines, some presidential candidates are instead pushing other government-controlled health insurance systems – like the public option, Medicare buy-in and Medicare for America – as more ‘moderate’ alternatives.

In a new blog post, Lauren Crawford Shaver, executive director of the Partnership for America’s Health Care Future, explains the consequences associated with these new government-controlled health insurance systems and urges our leaders to instead build on what’s working in health care:  

We agree that all Americans should have access to affordable coverage no matter where they live or how much they earn – let’s build on what’s working in health care, rather than starting over with an unaffordable new government-controlled health insurance system. 

In his Oct. 25 op-ed, “Someone needs to say it: Medicare-for-all is a pipe dream,” Rahm Emanuel explains why lawmakers should focus on the strength of our current system.  Today, roughly 90 percent of Americans are covered and millions more are eligible for coverage under existing law.  By building on what’s working, we can expand access without compromising the coverage and care a majority of Americans are satisfied with.  

While Medicare for All would take that coverage away virtually overnight and place every American into a one-size-fits-all system that politicians control, other government run health care systems, like the public option would lead to the same result over time.  Studies show the public option could threaten patients’ access to quality care, even putting more than half of rural hospitals – serving over 60 million Americans – “at high-risk of closure.”   

And economists warn that instead of controlling health care costs, the public option could mean higher taxes and cause premiums to “skyrocket.” 

That’s why we should come together to build on what’s working and fix what isn’t, rather than forcing Americans to pay more and wait longer for worse care under a new government-controlled health insurance system like Medicare for All or the public option.

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