As I See It: 'Medicare for All' too good to be true, because it is!

Making health care affordable and accessible is a top priority for many Americans as we approach the 2020 election. Many Democratic presidential candidates have proposed "Medicare for All" as the answer. It's important to note that various candidates have differing versions of "Medicare for All," and few have been candid about paying for any version of the proposal.

The left-leaning Urban Institute and the right-leaning Mercatus Center both estimate it would cost $32 trillion over the next ten years which would be borne by American taxpayers. That's a lot of money – our money! Furthermore, the various proposals fail to address the very real issue of rising health costs whether the people or the government (the taxpayers really) foot the bill.

The leading Republican presidential candidate has stated he'll propose his health care plan after the 2020 election. Whether a Democrat sponsoring "Medicare for All" or the Republican candidate wins, we won't know the real provisions and actual costs of our health care until well after the next election.

To be candid, some people might save by reducing their private insurance. However, it is unclear if people can completely eliminate their private insurance costs. Even Medicare as it currently works only covers about 80% of patient costs. Some people who have excellent insurance coverage through their union or employer, and who gave up other benefits to obtain that coverage, may not want to give up their hard-won gains as some "Medicare for All" options could require. Massachusetts, and more recently Vermont, considered Single Payer Health Care proposals similar to "Medicare for All," but officials in both states concluded it was unaffordable.

With a one-size-fits-all government insurance plan, and that's "Medicare for All," the level of government payments to health care providers might force some – especially small community hospitals and medical offices out of business. After all, providers already complain that Medicare and Medicaid payments are inadequate. Furthermore, we often read media reports that the Medicare Trust Fund could be running out of money, and that's only covering our seniors and younger people with disabilities at this point.

"Medicare for All" is a popular concept that sounds too good to be true. It probably is! Before we all sign on to the new, untried "Medicare for All" proposal, why not work to improve the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that currently governs our health care? We should encourage our Congressional representatives make the ACA work better for all of us before they scrap a plan that has expanded access to affordable care. Neither our family's health nor our country's economic security should be sacrificed for some catchy, but unproven, political gambit!

--Richard T. Moore of Uxbridge is a former state senator who was the lead Senate sponsor of the Massachusetts Landmark Health Reform Law (CH. 58 of 2006) and the Health Care Containment Law (CH. 224 of 2012)

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