Perspectives: No Time To Compromise On ‘Medicare For All’; Tax Lessons On That Free Medicaid
Editorial writers weigh in on the quality and high costs of health care.
BuzzFeed:
We Can't Compromise On Medicare For All
A decade ago, when I introduced legislation guaranteeing medical care to every American, the proposal was cast as a "radical" and "unrealistic" measure, and I could not convince a single senator to cosponsor the bill. Ten years later, our Medicare for All bill has widespread support in the House and Senate, and polls show Medicare for All is supported by a majority of Americans, including a majority of Republicans. (U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, 5/3)
The Wall Street Journal:
State Medicaid Tax Trap
Medicaid expansion under ObamaCare was sold as a free federal lunch for the states, but the bill is now coming due. Witness Gov. Gina Raimondo’s plan to tax businesses that employ low-income workers to fund Rhode Island’s booming Medicaid case load. Look for this soon in a state near you. Ms. Raimondo has proposed a 10% payroll tax on businesses with more than 300 workers for each employee who enrolls in Medicaid. ObamaCare requires businesses with more than 50 full-time workers to offer health insurance and duns employers $3,750 for each employee who purchases a plan on the exchanges with a federal subsidy. (5/2)
Stat:
Aim Your Baloney Detector At The BS In Health Care
Health care has an acute BS problem, in part because BS can sometimes fill the bill. Suppose you are asked to address an ageless problem in health care: reduce costs while simultaneously raising quality. If you were knowledgeable to begin with or did some research, you would know there is no easy solution. You could respond with a message of failure or a discussion of inevitable trade-offs. (Lawton R. Burns and Mark K. Pauly, 5/3)
