Politics or Poppycock

Advantages of HR 676 & S 703 – The Single Payer, Enhanced Medicare for All Alternative

• Submitted by Chip on Sat, 2009-08-15 20:51. Healthcare

Dale Larson, KatyAnn, and jLong over at Huffington Post compiled a list of advantages of the single-payer, enhanced Medicare for All alternative to the legislation being proposed now. What would you add?

1. Slashes at least 30% of costs off the top by removing private insurance overhead.
2. Companies take health care expenses off their books. Stock value increases. Better able to compete internationally.
3. Small companies could have access to higher skilled workers because previously they couldn’t compete in the labor market by offering similar benefits.
4. More entrepreneurial ventures will launch since they have more money and less unrelated risk.
5. Dramatic drop in bankruptcies.
6. Dramatic drop in lawsuits. Most of these lawsuits are simply to obtain money to cover health care if something interrupts their coverage.
7. Reduced system complexity. Greater efficiency due to fewer regulations.
8. Savings from employees not having to fight with their insurers during work hours.
9. HSA and MSA dollars redirected back into the economy for goods and services.
10. Additional money to spend from not having to carry “uninsured motorist coverage” on your auto policy.
11. Contract employment is more viable for workers since they are guaranteed access to health care.
12. People are covered when unemployed. No chance of being wiped out financially if you lose your job.
13. Health care providers (doctors, hospitals, therapists…) see increase in business with much less administrative expense.
14. Fewer mortgage defaults as medical bills do not force families to choose between health and house;
15. Personal, municipal, and state budgets can become sustainable;
16. Money will stop flowing out of school and town safety budgets to the profiteers.
17. Co-workers will not resent a group member who causes the group premiums to rise because of illness or injury since there will be no premiums.
18. Employers will not be privy to the health care concerns of their employees and their families.
19. Doctors and patients will not be in the position of begging pharmaceutical gatekeepers to pretty please lower the price of prescriptions;
20. No more nauseating self-congratulatory ads from Pharma and HMOs telling us how good and kind they are while they daily reject “pre-existing condition” applicants and overcharge others;
21. No more need for Remote Area Medical to put on free health care fairs in low income areas so sick people can get some semblance of health care in the U.S.;
22. No more wasted individual and business time spent shopping around for affordable health insurance;
23. No more skeletal coverage with surprises like the maternity coverage that does not include delivery;
24. No more yearly rises in co-pays and deductibles, and even disruptions in services as doctors change as businesses move to new HMOs;
25. More people will seek care when their health issues are small and easier to treat, before they become larger and more expensive.