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 principle of free at the point of service.
As the recent outpouring of insurance denial and medical debt stories shows, high costs are a core feature of our current, dysfunctional health care system. Even if someone has insurance coverage, patients often pay monthly premiums for their plans, and have to meet a deductible before their insurance company will start paying for services, in addition to paying copays and/or coinsurance to their providers.
These costs can be barriers to care for many, a phenomenon often referred to as “underinsurance,” in which an individual might technically have health insurance, but they still can’t afford to get care because of the high up-front costs. It is estimated that as many as 44 million people in the U.S. are underinsured. According to KFF, about half of U.S. adults – including those with health insurance – say it is difficult to afford health care costs, and one in four say they or a family member in their household had problems paying for health care in the past 12 months.1
But it doesn’t have to be this way. By establishing a single-payer system, Medicare for All would mean NO deductibles, copays, coinsurance, premiums, or other cost-sharing for patients.
Imagine: you show up at the doctor’s office, show them your Medicare card, and get the care you need — it would be that simple!
You might be wondering who pays for it: the federal government would finance Medicare for All through a system of progressive taxation so that corporations and the wealthy pay a greater share and nobody goes without needed care due to cost.
Medicare for All would also simplify the billing system and reduce spending on administrative costs. The U.S. currently spends nearly four times as much on administration ($925 per capita) than the comparable country average ($245 per capita).2 By moving to a system that’s free at the point of the service, we can spend money that currently goes to administrative costs on actually providing care to people — offsetting the cost of expanding care to all.
Let’s keep up the momentum for Medicare for All in order to lower costs while improving health outcomes for all!
In solidarity,
Nurses’ Campaign to Win Medicare for All
1 - Americans’ Challenges with Health Care Costs
2 - What drives health spending in the U.S. compared to other countries?
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