Stanley Feld M.D.,FACP,MACE
Just before the midterm elections Democrats came up with a brilliant idea in order to fix the healthcare system. They are recommending “Medicare for All.”
Isn’t this what they have recommended since 1935? The Democrats are trying to make a mid-term election issue out of a recommendation that will create a more dysfunctional healthcare system. I have pointed out this plan on multiple occasions is destined to fail.
Democrats refuse to admit that Obamacare made a terrible mess in the healthcare system worse. America needs an innovative system that will get us out of this expensive, nonfunctioning mess.
Instead, the Democrats are proposing a system that makes consumers captives of past government failures and whims of American politicians and political bureaucrats. The innovative systems needed would promote consumer choice, independence, responsibility and control.
I believe My Ideal Medical Savings Accounts will do just that. It is fair, democratic and promotes patient responsibility to become a medical care prosumer (a productive consumer of medical care).
Democrats and the media now have a “new” most important issue. They have ignored the Obamacare disaster until now in this mid-term campaign season. Democrats did not have any issues except hating President Trump.
Now many Democrats are running in the 2018 midterm elections on a promise to provide “Medicare for All.” The issue is almost as old as the hills. Progressives have been trying to pass socialized medicine since 1935. They finally passed Medicare and Medicaid in 1965.
Both Medicare and Medicaid have created trillions of dollars of deficit for the federal and state governments. Costs have been unfunded or have incurred unsustainable liabilities. The inefficiency of the bureaucracies of state and federal governments have created these unsustainable liabilities.
Some of the unsustainability is because of inefficient management and terrible management of government funds.
“Democrats are proving Republicans right: the GOP warned Obamacare was a “Trojan Horse,” designed to fail so Democrats could replace it with a totally socialist system.”
Hopefully Americans’ will not try to support “Medicare for All.” Socialized medicine is bankrupting countries all over the planet. I have pointed out the reasons for the failures repeatedly.
Below are a couple more examples for not having Medicare for all.
Medicare for All failed in Bernie Standers’ home state of Vermont. It failed because in this small state it was too expensive and too complicated.
Medicare for All failed to pass in Colorado and even in California because the people realized it was too expensive and it would put the state government in control of consumer healthcare decisions.
“A recent study showed “Medicare for All” would cost $38 trillion over the first 10 years — again, twice the current federal budget.”
“Medicare for All” would end up looking like Medicaid. Medicare would have to reduce reimbursement paid to providers once it was expanded to all. Medicaid has its own unsustainability problems. States already have huge budget deficits. State deficits are against the law. Many physicians will not participate in the Medicaid program. Medicaid patients have trouble finding physicians because Medicaid reimbursement is too low. Since Obamacare was passed many Medicare patients are having trouble finding physicians who participate in Medicare because its reimbursement is too low.
Medicare presently has many problems and does not need an additional 250 million enrollees. A few of the problems are an endless bureaucracy leading to overspending and fraud and abuse from all provider including hospital systems big pharma and the healthcare insurance industry that services the Medicare bureaucracy.
“Adding 250 million consumers to the roughly 50 million Medicare now serves would be a recipe for disaster.”
“The Democrats who say we should have “Medicare for All” also want to allow as many immigrants into the country as possible — legal or illegal. That would swiftly bankrupt and destroy whatever health care the government managed to provide, leaving Americans with nothing.”
The Democrats’ “Medicare for All” is another phony gimmick to promise consumers a free ride no one can afford. They have no intention of being able to pass Medicare for All.
Making “Medicare for All’ an issue is designed by Democrats with the help of the traditional media to get votes during this midterm election.
Any thinking person will know that it cannot work. I think it will backfire on the Democrats.
The opinions expressed in the blog “Repairing The Healthcare System” are, mine and mine alone.
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