It accounts for 26% of federal spending. Federal spending comes from taxes and debt that will ultimately need to be serviced from taxes. The Medicare tax is just another tax. Surpluses and deficits in the Medicare “trust fund” are merely IOUs the government writes to itself and funds with taxes. Calling different taxes by different names does not mean that the 26% those programs represent of federal spending isn’t funded by federal taxes.
That depends. If the out-of-pocket costs remain roughly the same, I don't see any uprising. In fact, if OOP premiums and deductibles are the same, I see great benefit for the employed people: a) they are free to follow dreams of entrepreneurship without being handcuffed to their jobs for healthcare security and b) they don't have to go through quagmires of red tape choosing one plan over another, and then having restrictions when traveling/moving to other states.
Doctors will save money by being able to reduce staff size. Most practices have at least FTE JUST for sorting through insurance paperwork, getting prior authorizations for every darn medicine they prescribe, etc.
"Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it--every, every minute?" Emily Webb, Our Town
www.silententry.wordpress.com
it's not a bad plan, but income taxes might be better, or a combination of both.If you first eliminate employer-subsidized insurance, and then fund trillions of single payer costs solely with a tax on currently working people, I would expect a significant political reaction from the employed segment of the population.
Trees don't grow on money
Something like 60% of the population is employed. Paying for a single payer system by putting the entire burden on a payroll tax while at the same time eliminating any subsidies they get though employers would almost certainly increase their combined out of pocket and tax burden substantially; although I would think the non-working population would be very satisfied with the situation.
It’s hard for me to believe the difference for working people would be made up by a series of managerial miracles. Rationing healthcare, increased wait times, etc. more stringently than people with employer-provided care are used to will also provoke a reaction.
however think of all the people employed by BCBS, Aetna and so on. From CEO’s to office cleaners, hospital reviewers to adjusters to bill payers. They will be unemployed. Think of all the politicians who accept money from various health and pharmaceutical companies through direct donations, pacs, individual donations and so on. The spin and fallout by eliminating the health insurance business involves a great deal of upheaval in our country.
It’s all about the money, the people be damned.
For perspective, BCBS employs more than 17 million unionized employees, retirees and their families.
https://www.bcbs.com/about-us/the-bl...-shield-system
united healthcare over 260,000
aetna over 50,000
Well, as they say, you can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs. This is the argument they raise about moving away from fossil fuels--"but where would all the gas station attendants go?"
I'm not suggesting that on January 21, 2021, if the electorate wisely votes in Bernie or Elizabeth, millions of health insurance employees would be out of work. Believe me, if it took Obama moving heaven and earth and making tough deals to get Obamacare done, I don't expect that Rome will be built in a day.
I just feel that no matter what, we need to move toward universal health care. For-profit healthcare insurance has ONLY been around for 70 years, and it has not served us well, as evidenced by the fact that we spend the most and get far less bang for the buck than countries with universal health care.
But the oligarchy will fight a good fight to be sure. This article talks about the money billionaires are getting ready to spend to keep Sanders and Warren out of the White House.
"Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it--every, every minute?" Emily Webb, Our Town
www.silententry.wordpress.com
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