Each bullet below is the tried and true talking point developed by PR firms for the healthcare industry to be used to sow FUD — Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt about Single Payer (SP) proposals such as National Improved Medicare for All. Following each bulleted line is the rest of the story so you won’t be deceived by the naked lie.
Industry myth about Medicare For All and the truth that disproves them:
1. Medicare For All is “Government-run health care.”
* SP would only control payments and be able to negotiate prices. Care would continue to be as today, delivered by private, public and non-profit entities.
2. Medicare For All is “Socialized medicine.”
* As proposed in Medicare For All, only the payment system will be made public. Care providers will continue to work for private groups as today. Providers would not be employed by the government.
3. We need to build on what’s working/ fix what’s broken
* What’s working? The ACA never achieved universal coverage. It implemented a private healthcare tax rewarding insurers that delay and deny care and create paperwork that creates costs, not value.
4. Single Payer Systems causes massive wait times just look at Canada.
* Canadian wait times is a myth. We have waiting in the US and care is rationed by ability to pay instead of urgency of care.
5. Medicare For All would be a Middle-class tax hike
* Yes, there will be a tax to cover much lower costs. It would replace deductions for premiums. There would be no out-of-pocket copays or deductibles.
6. We need “Free market solutions.”
* Healthcare is not amenable to a free market. Their is no “shopping” for healthcare. Doctors are highly trained, but still don’t know all the answers. Everyone is different and patients prefer to trust a primary care doctor to make a referral to a specialist they trust, not hand you a list of doctors to “shop”
7. Medicare For All would “Abolish, ban, or take away your private insurance.”
* Few like their insurance or even know how inadequate it is until they need to use it. About 30% of employers change plans annually, so employees are at risk of losing providers because of changes in networks. Medicare for All would be comprehensive coverage, better than any employer plan today.
8. We need to start over from scratch
* There is no need to start from scratch to fix healthcare financing. Medicare has existed for over 50 years. The system can be expanded to cover everyone.
9 Medicare For All would be “Disruptive.”
* Another FUD word to scare people into maintaining the status quo instead of the healthier more cost effective option of Single Payer.
* Provisions cover cost of retraining and extended unemployment. 95% will be employed within two years.
10. Our healthcare system offers “Choice and competition.”
* our current system offers neither. Your employer chooses plans and the insurer chooses providers in plans. About 30% of employer plans change annually so employees risk having to switch doctors under the new plan. Single Payer would maximize choice by eliminating narrow networks of providers. There would be no instances where a hospital system would not accept coverage through an insurance company. Every provider would be part of the public payment plan.
* If you’ve ever tried to shop for a service, you know prices are difficult if not impossible to obtain. Who has time for that anyway?
11. We need to Strengthen, protect, or “build on” the ACA
* Life expectancy in the US has actually declined since the ACA was passed. Clearly, it did not help improve community health, it just boosted insurance company profits.
12. One-size-fits-all health plan
* Another FUD phrase. Insurance companies design coverages to eliminate services. After shopping for a private plan, you may find that something you need is not covered. Single Payer will cover all medically necessary care including dental, hearing and eye care.
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