Sanders’ prescription for failure
Sen. Bernie Sanders says that because Medicare is “the most popular, successful and cost-effective health insurance in the country,” everyone should have it, regardless of age.
But watch out for the bait-andswitch. Truth is, Sanders’ “Medicare for All” legislation actually abolishes Medicare and Medicare Advantage, as well as employerprovided coverage, union plans and plans people buy for themselves. Every person, whether they want to or not, would be forced into a government-run system with the phony name “Medicare for All.” The quality of your medical care would plummet.
“Medicare for All” would plunge hospitals into financial distress, exposing patients to dangerous medical shortages and forcing pay cuts on health care workers.
But 16 Democratic senators and 123 Democrats in the House endorse the legislation. Have they actually read it?
President Trump warns that Sanders is “eliminating Medicare as a program for seniors.” Trump cautions that “hospitals would be put out of business,” patients would face “long wait lines” and seniors would “effectively be denied” care they need.
Sanders calls Trump a liar. Fortunately, there’s a way to determine who’s telling the truth. The answer is in the 96 pages of Sanders’ bill.
Four years after “Medicare for All” begins, all private insurance would be banned (Sec. 107), and Medicare and other government health programs would be terminated, just as Trump said. Everyone, including immigrants in this country illegally, would be enrolled in the new government program (Sec. 106). Newborns would be automatically enrolled at birth (Sec. 105).
On paper, the new program guarantees hospital care, doctor visits, even dental vision and long-term care, all paid by Uncle Sam. Here’s the hitch. Hospitals would be forced to operate under conditions of extreme scarcity, with little revenue and more patients than ever.
Right now, Medicare shortchanges hospitals, paying them less than the full cost of caring for seniors, but hospitals accept the low payments because they can shift the unmet costs on to younger patients who have private insurance that pays more.
But in the new scheme, hospitals would be paid at Medicare rates for all their patients, not just seniors (Sec. 611). With everyone on “Medicare for All,” no costshifting would be possible. The rates would be 40 percent less than what hospitals could get from private insurance plans. The severe short-changing would throw hospitals into crisis.
Meanwhile, demand for care would surge, because it’s free for all.
Doctors would also be paid 30 percent less than what private insurance would pay them. To keep their doors open, they’ll have to see more patients per hour. That’s bad news for seniors, who take up more time. Doctors would avoid them like the plague.
The Sanders bill is a labor fiasco in the making. When hospitals are paid less, health care workers would get cut, too. Under “Medicare for All,” patients would suffer, seniors would be shunned, hospitals would fail and health care workers would lose. Who exactly is supposed to benefit, except the politicians?