[Peace-discuss] Healthcare proposal

[David Johnson]

Where are you getting your info Karen ?

 

This is not what I saw in the draft legislation, provided by ; The national
Labor Campaign for Single Payer, Physicians for a National healthcare
Program, Healthcare NOW and Margaret Flowers organization Healthcare over
Profit.

 

Below is what Physicians for a National Healthcare Program have said about
Sanders bill and their criticisms of it.

 

Below is PNHP's breakdown of the bill. They support it and are asking people
to call their senators, but point out areas for improvement: 

What's in the bill?

Based on our initial analysis, we find the Medicare For All Act of 2017 to
be a significant step forward in the fight for single payer. Taken together
with the Expanded & Improved Medicare for All Act (
<http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=X%2Fqq7bJf1bixL%2FtiPhzfgXwWlI
oVos0n> H.R. 676), it would transform the U.S. healthcare system in a manner
consistent with PNHP's vision.


Eligibility

Everyone is covered automatically at birth. All residents covered regardless
of immigration status.


Benefits

Covers medically-necessary services including primary and preventive care,
mental health care, reproductive care, vision and dental care, and
prescription drugs.


Patient Choice

Full choice of any participating doctor or hospital. Providers may not
dual-practice within and outside the Medicare system.


Patient Costs

No premiums, deductibles or copays for medical services. Balance billing
prohibited. Copays for some drugs.


Cost Controls

Eliminates most roles for private insurance by prohibiting duplicative
coverage. Drug prices negotiated with manufacturers.

How can the bill be improved?

Based on decades of careful analysis and research, PNHP recommends several
improvements to the Medicare for All Act that would save even more money and
improve patient care:

Fully cover all medications, without copayment: Sen. Sanders' bill requires
patient copays on some non-generic prescription drugs. Research shows that
copays of any kind
<http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=RcQplbEMEcpGUp7fC479hHwWlIoVos
0n> discourage patients from seeking needed medical care, increasing
sickness and long-term costs. Experience in other nations prove that they
are not needed for cost control. 

Establish a national long-term care program: In Sen. Sanders' plan,
long-term care would be administered by the states only for low-income
individuals, similar to Medicaid today. Long-term care should be provided to
all as part of a national health plan. Nearly
<http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=Kt%2FOV7a8bfGGSojyomuG5nwWlIoV
os0n> 10 million Americans need help with the basic tasks of living or help
to maintain their independence. More than 80 percent of those who need care
live in their communities, not in nursing homes, and nearly 40 percent of
them are under age 65. 

Fund hospitals through global budgeting: A "global budget" is a lump sum
paid to hospitals and similar institutions to cover operating expenses,
thereby eliminating wasteful per-patient billing. Global budgets could not
be used for expansion or modernization (which would be funded separately
through capital allocations), advertising, profit, or bonuses. Global
budgeting minimizes hospitals' incentives to avoid (or seek out) particular
patients or services, inflate volumes, or upcode. Without global budgets,
the national system has little power to constrain long-term cost growth.  

Ban investor-owned health facilities: For-profit health care facilities and
agencies provide lower-quality care at higher costs than non-profits,
<http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=zMAoFSaLK0oNPFLNU0awZnwWlIoVos
0n> resulting in both higher mortality rates and greater payments compared
to not-for-profit providers. 

 

 

From: Peace-discuss [mailto:peace-discuss-bounces at lists.chambana.net] On
Behalf Of Karen Aram via Peace-discuss
Sent: Thursday, September 14, 2017 9:36 AM
To: Karen Aram via Peace-discuss
Subject: [Peace-discuss] Healthcare proposal

 

My rant this morning:

Forgive my lack of enthusiasm for Bernie's successful vote on Single Payer
Healthcare, which though better than what we currently have, is still
flawed, covering only 80%, and with deductibles as high as $6,700. It is not
what other developed nations provide.

Bernies' one small step for mankind is a very small step indeed. 
It provides little if nothing for the next four years, which will keep those
five Democratic Presidential hopefuls who supported his bill, with enough
support for their campaigns, and discussion of the details, to keep us all
distracted from the realities of our drowning nation.

According to "left" economist Dean Baker, we don't want to scare people too
much, he is referring of course to the powers that be, who are supported by
the medical and pharma industries. Yes, we wouldn't want to scare our
government now would we?
Yet, he has no problem scaring the working class when he insists, rightfully
so, that the middle or working classes, not the wealthy will be taxed to pay
for it, the elephant in the room, that Bernie has failed to address, that of
how to finance it, will be debated endlessly over the next four years, with
it likely failing.

No one, not one person on "The Real News" or elsewhere has mentioned our
military budget which is eating middle class/or working class taxpayers
alive, is what we should be focused on in respect to paying for a "universal
healthcare system" as other nations possess.

What we have is another example of Americans being forced to scramble for
crumbs.

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