The Case for Medicare for All
If we are to truly believe that America is an exceptional country, then we must demand much more from our government and our officials. One of the most pressing issues to Americans is healthcare. It has been debated for decades at this point even though we already know the solution – Medicare for All.
What is wrong with our current system that makes a single payer system the best answer?
The primary flaw in our current system is the fact that millions are not covered and thousands die each year due to the lack of basic health coverage. Using the most recent available data from the Census Bureau, in 2018, 27.5 million Americans - 8.4% of our population - went without health insurance the entire year. Despite the successes of the Affordable Care Act, it has not been resilient enough to prevent the number of uninsured from rising since 2017.
Fundamentally, if our country treats all people with the care most other developed nations treat their people, we would guarantee coverage to everyone. This may come as a surprise to some, but according to a recent Pew Research poll, most Americans believe that healthcare is a human right and not a commodity. A Medicare for All system would guarantee that all people in the United States are able to see a doctor and get the care they need with no deductibles, premiums, or out of pocket expenses. Medicare for All expands current day Medicare plans to include dental, vision, hearing, mental health, comprehensive women's health services, and in-home care.
Medicare for All is the logical step for the United States on a moral level as we owe every person here the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness as granted to us by our founding documents.
But what about cost?
On the net, a single payer system will lower costs to the average American family. This may come in the form of a tax increase but the actual out of pocket costs will be lower which will save families thousands of dollars a year. Yes, our government spending will increase upfront but spending per capita will actually decrease on the whole. How? By taking the profit motive out of the system and being able to negotiate drug prices on behalf of all Americans.
The United States healthcare spending reached $3.6 trillion or $11,172 per person in 2018 according to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the spending increases certainly show no sign of slowing down. Currently, Americans pay nearly double what other developed nations pay in healthcare costs and those countries have higher life expectancy, lower infant mortality, and more people covered (United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Australia, Japan, Sweden, France, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Denmark for examples).
In closing, I return to the premise that the United States is supposed to be an exceptional country. In the realm of healthcare, we certainly seem to be an outlier but not in the positive sense. As someone who loves this country and cares greatly for the well-being of our people, I know that we must pass Medicare for All. I believe that all people are created equal and should be guaranteed the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness which is ensured by having a healthcare system that shares the values of the American people and not just the corporate interests.