As we finalize our plans for the new year, we’re continuing our email series to refresh you on what Medicare for All is and how it would work by reviewing the six core MFA principles, which you can read and share with others here.

Today’s email is focused on the fully comprehensive benefits that Medicare for All would provide: coverage that includes medical, dental, hearing, vision, mental health, prescription drugs, long-term care, and more. All decisions about care would be made between you and your doctors and nurses, not insurance companies.

Right now in our profit-driven health care system, covered benefits vary drastically depending on factors like your insurance provider and specific plan. Naturally, low-cost plans tend to cover less, while more expensive plans cover more. Though 92% of people in the U.S. have some form of health insurance, we know that’s not the same thing as having guaranteed care — and far too many people have low-quality plans that cover too little, resulting in financial barriers to care.

Benefits in today’s system are also made more complicated by the fact that dental, vision, and hearing often require additional insurance plans separate from health insurance, despite being important parts of a person’s body and health. Because of this, people may have medical coverage but no dental or vision insurance, which means they must pay out of pocket to cover things like dentist visits, corrective eyewear, and more. It’s no coincidence that dental and vision services top the list of health services most likely to be skipped by U.S. adults.¹

Too often, certain services are completely ineligible for coverage, or insurance companies will only pay a certain percentage of the cost. This can also drastically vary based on whether the provider is in or out-of-network, making getting care more complicated.

As a result, KFF found that 1 out of 4 adults in the U.S. skipped or postponed getting the health care they needed because of the cost.² This number is even larger for women, low-income individuals, and people between the ages of 18 to 49. While it’s more common (61%) for uninsured people to skip or postpone care, KFF still found that a significant 21% of insured people put off the care they needed as well.

In our current system, a lack of comprehensive benefits also means that people too often go without preventative care. A 2018 report found that as of 2015, only a shocking 8% of U.S. adults aged 35 and older received all of the preventative care recommended for them.³ To save money, many people delay or skip their regular or preventative care that could prevent future health issues, only to end up at the emergency room later. In effect, the number of emergency room visits is on the rise as the number of emergency departments decreases across the country.⁴

Even under current traditional Medicare coverage, benefits like vision, dental, hearing, long-term care, and more are not covered, leaving seniors who need this coverage most to bear the cost themselves. Medicare for All would not just expand Medicare eligibility to every U.S. resident, but also improve the benefits to be truly comprehensive.

Under Medicare for All, there would be no worrying about what is or isn’t covered, no more arguing with insurance companies, and no more rationing, delaying, or skipping of care — this single-payer system would completely pay for ALL care, with no cost to patients at the point of service. It’s that simple!

Together, let’s keep up the fight to pass Medicare for All and finally guarantee comprehensive health care to everyone in our country.

In solidarity,

Nurses’ Campaign to Win Medicare for All

 

1 - Americans’ Challenges with Health Care Costs
2 - Ibid
3 - Few Americans Receive All High-Priority, Appropriate Clinical Preventive Services
4 - Reasons Patients Choose the Emergency Department over Primary Care: a Qualitative Metasynthesis