Partnership Statement On Introduction Of House Medicare For All Legislation
Bill Would Force Americans Off Existing Coverage, Eliminate Choice & Control, Cost Families More
WASHINGTON – The Partnership for America’s Health Care Future issued the following statement today regarding the introduction of Medicare for All legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives:
“Every American deserves access to quality, affordable health care – and the best way to achieve that is by building upon the strength of our current system that is working for more Americans than ever before, not by scrapping the progress we’ve made and starting from scratch with a one-size-fits-all government-run program,” said Lauren Crawford Shaver, the Partnership’s Executive Director. “Today, the free market and public programs work together to cover roughly 90 percent of Americans, protect patients with preexisting conditions, care for our seniors and allow young adults to stay on their parents’ plans up to age 26.”
“In contrast, Medicare for All would force every American off their existing coverage, put an end to the choice and control Americans currently have over their plans and treatments, fundamentally change Medicare as we know it, and subject patients to longer wait times and a lower quality of care. Not only that, it would move health care decisions away from doctors and patients, and put our care in the hands of politicians and bureaucrats in Washington. And while this bill’s authors have notably decided not to include any information on what it would cost or how it would be paid for, it’s obvious that the price tag would be enormous and force families to pay more,” she continued. “We can all agree that more should be done to improve access to quality, affordable care – but this costly, disruptive one-size-fits-all proposal is the wrong path forward. Instead, let’s protect and improve upon what is working in American health care, and come together to fix what isn’t.”
Notably, despite the fact that Democrats hold nearly 40 more seats than they did in the last Congress, this Medicare for All legislation will reportedly be introduced with just 106 co-sponsors, compared with the 124 House Members who co-sponsored a similar proposal in the 115th Congress.
While the bill introduced this week notably contains no information regarding what it would cost or how Americans would pay for it, independent studies from the liberal-leaning Urban Institute and the libertarian-leaning Mercatus Center have estimated the costs of similar Medicare for All proposals at more than $32 trillion over ten years. As NBC News reports, implementing such a plan “requires a massive new source of tax revenue.”
Recent polling by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that most Americans don’t support Medicare for All once they are aware of its implications, and voters – including most Democratic voters – want Congress to focus instead on protecting and improving upon what works in America’s health care system.
To learn more about the Partnership For America’s Health Care Future, CLICK HERE.
Background Information:
A Recent Poll By The Kaiser Family Foundation Found That The Majority Of Democrats Want Democratic Lawmakers To Focus On Protecting The Affordable Care Act (ACA) Rather Than Passing “Medicare For All.” “Half (51 percent) of Democrats say House Democrats should focus on the ACA while four in ten (38 percent) say they should focus on passing a national Medicare-for-all plan. The share of Democrats who want Congress to focus on passing a national Medicare-for-all plan is down 10 percentage points from March 2018.” (Ashley Kirzinger, Cailey Muñana & Mollyann Brodie, “KFF Health Tracking Poll – January 2019: The Public On Next Steps For The ACA And Proposals To Expand Coverage,” KFF, 1/23/19)
- 58 Percent Of Americans Oppose Medicare For All When They Learn It Would Eliminate Private Health Coverage. (Ashley Kirzinger, Cailey Muñana & Mollyann Brodie, “KFF Health Tracking Poll – January 2019: The Public On Next Steps For The ACA And Proposals To Expand Coverage,” KFF, 1/23/19)
- 60 Percent Of Americans Oppose Medicare For All When They Learn It Would “Require Most Americans To Pay More In Taxes.” (Ashley Kirzinger, Cailey Muñana & Mollyann Brodie, “KFF Health Tracking Poll – January 2019: The Public On Next Steps For The ACA And Proposals To Expand Coverage,” KFF, 1/23/19)
- 70 Percent Of Americans Oppose Medicare For All When They Learn It Would “Lead To Delays In People Getting Some Medical Tests And Treatments.” (Ashley Kirzinger, Cailey Muñana & Mollyann Brodie, “KFF Health Tracking Poll – January 2019: The Public On Next Steps For The ACA And Proposals To Expand Coverage,” KFF, 1/23/19)