Many politicians and pundits oppose “Medicare for All” because they say Americans are happy with their employer-provided private insurance. But recent surveys have shown that 40% of Americans have huge gaps in their coverage, causing them to skip or delay treatment because of cost. It’s hard to find a single example of a worker or union-negotiated health plan that can match the benefits and a nationwide network of doctors and hospitals that are included in both Medicare for All bills.
Private health insurance adds no value to workers’ health care. It drowns us in confusing complexity causing excessive and costly paperwork. Plus, many small businesses are being crushed by insurance costs.
Medicare for All would relieve employers that spend huge amounts of money on health care to instead offer wage increases to their employees. It would provide a pathway to recover sunken wages from earlier negotiations.
What workers loathe more than their insurance company is the fear of going without insurance. Opponents of Medicare for All capitalize on this misleading fear and have turned it into a mythical love affair with private insurance. Both Medicare for All bills include either a two- or four-year transition period in which certain people would be immediately covered, but no one would lose their insurance. Before you vote, remember that Medicare for All means never losing your comprehensive health care. The sooner we can work on it, the faster we can prevent the suffering, unnecessary deaths and financial ruin imposed by the current system.