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Watch LIVE as PNHP president Dr. @awgaffney talks #SinglePayer #MedicareForAll on @cspanwj. Video here: c-span.org/video/?458365-…
Dr. @awgaffney stresses that the program PNHP supports is *improved* #MedicareForAll. Quality coverage would be guaranteed with no out-of-pocket spending for patients.
Two-thirds of current health spending is financed through taxes. Fully funding #SinglePayer #MedicareForAll would require tax-funding the other one-third, but would not increase overall health spending.
Critics argue that #SinglePayer is unaffordable, but our *current* system is the most expensive in the world, by far, and leaves many Americans without adequate coverage: 29m are uninsured and 44m are under-insured.
"There's very little brand loyalty to private insurance companies. People care about the doctors, hospitals, and medicines they can access." - Dr. @awgaffney
Do you support #SinglePayer #MedicareForAll? Call @cspanwj at (202) 748-8000 to pose a question to Dr. @awgaffney or fellow guest @joeantos of the American Enterprise Institute.
When Medicare was proposed, critics said hospitals will be overcrowded because more people would have coverage. The fearmongering wasn't warranted then, and isn't warranted now. - Dr. @awgaffney
"We're not talking about changing every single thing about the U.S. health care system. We're going to build on the things that are working well now, but change how we pay for [health care]." - Dr. @awgaffney
Caller notes high U.S. health costs and poor U.S. health outcomes compared to #SinglePayer nations. "What we're currently doing is a disgrace."
"People don't use health care because it's fun. They use health care because they need it." Out-of-pocket spending prevents people from seeking *needed* medical care. - Dr. @awgaffney
"For-profit corporate medicine does a poor job of providing medical care." #SinglePayer would be built around public financing and health care would be delivered by non-profit providers. - Dr. @awgaffney
"U.S. hospitals spend a quarter of their revenue on administration. That’s the cost of doing business. In countries with #SinglePayer, countries spend half of that.” - Dr. @awgaffney
“We’re working on it,” says @joeantos when asked about possible alternatives to #MedicareForAll. Just give the free market a few more decades to land on a solution? A few more centuries?
Global budgets would allow hospitals to focus on the health needs of their patients and their communities instead of billing for the most lucrative procedures. - Dr. @awgaffney
Doctors spend way too much time on billing and administration in our current system. #SinglePayer would allow physicians to see more patients and spend their days actually practicing medicine. - Dr. @awgaffney
Caller tells her story of losing coverage when her husband died, fighting with insurance companies for care, and amassing enormous medical bills. Dr. @awgaffney says these problems are far too common, but "it doesn’t need to be this way. We don’t need to have medical bills."
“If deductibles are so great at controlling U.S. health care costs, then why are U.S. health care costs so much higher than in countries that don’t have deductibles.” - Dr. @awgaffney
"The current Medicare system is not good enough. We need to fill in those gaps" by eliminating premiums and deductibles and expanding coverage to include dental, vision, reproductive health care, and long-term care. - Dr. @awgaffney
The record is clear: public insurers (like Medicare) do a better job of containing costs than private insurers (like @AHIPCoverage). #SinglePayer #MedicreForAll is a much better bargain than the status quo.
Dr. @awgaffney pushes back against the claim that #MedicareForAll would cut physician pay. Reimbursement rates might be lower than private insurance, but they are higher than Medicaid and docs would save huge $$$ on administrative costs.
And we're done! to learn more about @RepJayapal's recently introduced #MedicareForAll bill, visit pnhp.org/HouseBill. To learn more about PNHP's Physicians' Proposal for #SinglePayer, visit pnhp.org/nhi.
