Some Democratic presidential candidates are promoting the idea of Medicare for All, a system that would enroll every American in a government health plan.
This idea has plenty of critics. Republicans say it would be fiscally disastrous. And some other Democratic candidates, while supporting expanded coverage, question the feasibility of Medicare for All. They want to focus instead on shoring up the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare, perhaps offering a Medicare-like “public option.”
In a new GHN Commentary, health care exec Kirk Wilson argues that Medicare for All can work just fine. He outlines a number of ambitious steps that would have to be taken to make such a plan a reality, and he contends it would be no more costly than the current system.
“If the billions of dollars now spent on non-productive health care financing activities could be redistributed — and if employers and employees paid an amount similar to what they pay today for their portion of health care insurance premiums — there would be more than enough money to pay for Medicare for All,” he writes.