Medicare for All has become wildly popular among Democrats running for office these days. But what does that mean exactly? It's complicated, if you can believe that. Does this include universal coverage? What happens to employer-based insurance? We take a close look at some of the questions surrounding this issue.
Related HCT episodes:
1. Medicare for All and Administrative Costs:
2. Medicare for All Could Save $2 Trillion:
Resources Used in this Video
Public Opinion on Single-Payer, National Health Plans, and Expanding Access to Medicare Coverage – Kaiser Family Foundation:
Further Reading:
Build Your Own ‘Medicare for All’ Plan. Beware: There Are Tough Choices –
We read Democrats’ 9 plans for expanding health care. Here’s how they work –
The Uninsured Rate Has Soared Under Trump — Maybe –
If Obamacare Exits, Some May Need to Rethink Early Retirement –
The Astonishingly High Administrative Costs of U.S. Health Care –
With Sickest Patients, Cost Sharing Comes at a Price –
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Title says Medicare but thumbnail says Medicaid
Thanks for letting us know! It is now fixed 🙂 -mark
Thank you, for just explaining and not politicizing!
James Mitchell he just lied to you lol . That’s not what Medicare for all is . This guy is a paid political hack . ! Medicare for all is only common sense ‘! That’s why all the advanced western countries have it . NO DUH
FYI we’ve got a bunch of links in the description for further reading and watching! +RoRo Zorro
+RoRo Zorro Actually I’m really pro socialized medicine! But there are different systems, for example both the Japanese and French system are rated among the best systems in the world, but they don’t operate the same. The focus of the video, yes I re-watched it, was this point. Maybe if you had opened your ears, and listened to the video; you’d know that!
+James Mitchell Zorro is right, there are inconsistencies in this video, and makes conclusions based on assumptions that are wrong. You cannot claim that private insurance sometimes covers some things that Medicare does not. That is idiotic and misleading! If you implement a public option, it MUST be done under a EVERYTHING IS COVERED policy, otherwise it is not a real medical system. This guy is throwing in subtle propaganda so that people don’t think on fixing the root cause and calling for the right solution, which is UNIVERSAL coverage. Any other overloading on the meaning of UNIVERSAL is not accepted.
A plan that does not include everyone IS by definition not for all and it is disingenuous to expand public options not provide coverage for all — medicare for all.
Disingenuous to call a plan that has very little in common structurally with medicare “Medicare for all”
Thank you for your work & dedication to education, Aaron & team, & to Sam & the patrons for keeping the lights on. I’ll support Patreon when I can.
Thank you media does a crapy job talking about this.
Medicare is a single payer. An expansion of health insurance is NOT “Medicare for All.” Medicare for All would mean getting private insurance out of the primary care business.
FYI we’ve got a bunch of links in the description for further reading and watching!
+Dennis Walker The same place that says the government provides fire protection, or food inspection, or air traffic controllers, or schools, or the Air Force.
That’s a completely stupid argument and you must know it. The Constitution provides a framework for government, not a detailed listing of every agency, department, and service.
Of course, in the Declaration they do kind of mention Life — I think the Founding Fathers considered that kind of important, and you kind of need health care to have life sometimes. And the Pursuit of Happiness. I suspect that sick people cannot pursue happiness as well as healthy people. Cancer is such an unhappy thing.
+peter collins ROTFLMFAO , you really need to understand the difference between county , state and federal governments , as the only thing you mentioned that is the federal government is the armed forces . And the mention of life does not mean they have to provide a bandaid when irresponsible children scrape a knee . It also mentions liberty , as in a very limited federal government . The founders listed exactly what the federal government is responsible for , in order to prevent the massive behemoth we have today . Fact is every single federal government agency not listed in the Declaration of Independence , the Constitution and Bill of rights is the federal government overstepping the boundaries set by these documents .
+peter collins
https://youtu.be/q2jijuj1ysw
Here is the truth about the Canadian health care system . Not that you will admit it . And the VA is a single payer system run by the federal government .
+Dennis Walker Wow, you are a moron. No one, from the people who wrote the Constitution to the current Supreme Court, agrees with your wacko theory about Federal authority.
One of the Founding Fathers said “The first duty of government is to protect the life, health, and safety of its citizens.” So I guess Thomas Jefferson didn’t understand what the Declaration meant, right?
James Madison opposed listing specific functions and protections in the Constitution because “then some damn fool will try to claim that these are the only” functions and protections that were included. But James Madison didn’t know what the Constitution meant, did he? After all, he wrote about 80% of it.
You’ve proven yourself a liar, a person ignorant of the basics of the US system of government, and a person willing to claim complete bullshit to defend an indefensible position. Not once have you shown a single thing I said to be untrue, oor shown any evidence for what you claim. Go back to Mommie’s basement, little boy, until you learn how to debate with grownups. Your tantrums are an embarrassment to you and an annoyance to the rest of us.
+peter collins Oh and by the way the combined populations of France and Germany is approximately 151million , less than half of the United States , and with a far less diverse population .
It would be nice to be able to afford to go to the doctor.
Or the dentist, or the optometrist. Yay US adulthood
I live in the UK. When I’m sick, I see the Doctor. If my Doctor suggests I need a scan or test, I get it. That’s it. I don’t pay anything to my Doctor or hospital. Is it free? No. I’ve already paid for it with my taxes. If I lose my job, I get treated exactly the same way. If an operation costs $1m, I still get it.
+Shahid Khan Too bad the UK is worse about immigration than Trump is.
+Anthony “To bad”? how about “too bad”? you racist.
+Shahid Khan Yep, I as a white person hate white people and that makes me a racist, I didn’t know they sucked Trump penis in the UK.
How will these plans keep down cost? will they allow medicare to bargain with providers and pharmeceuticals over price?
They definitly should! Other countries, including mine (the Netherlands), do and it makes it way more affordable! And a lot of the research in pharmaceutical drug development if payed by public money (NIH) —> https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=S8dBuj69yPM
Bernie’s plan definitely includes price negotiation, not sure about the others. Hopefully they will cover that next week.
This is generally my objection. Medicare first needs to low the cost of care, mostly by bargain with it’s size, which the current Federal government prohibited it’s self from negotiating lower prescription drug prices. If we can get the cost of medicare and medicaid down by 15%, we could cover everyone with medicare at a much lower cost then we are paying currently, and it should be something we all want.
Thanks for presenting the information clearly. Although I’m not yet sold on the idea of single payer healthcare, I like seeking out content that makes me more informed about the pros and cons.
I zoned out when you focused on employer-based insurance, as if we are stuck in the 20th century. The connection between health insurance and employment was always questionable, but now it is visibly out of line with the economy of independent contractors and multiple jobs.
You get sick even when not working, so why is healthcare linked to employment?
Nobody even has good employer based healthcare unless they’re already making A LOT OF FR*CKIN MONEY!
+Kiely Allen right? I have employer healthcare and I think it’s pretty trash.
Is this the same medicare that they have been saying is running out of money quickly? Is this the same medicare that Congress keeps borrowing money out of for other things? Health insurance does not necessarily mean health care. If you are struggling to pay for the co-pays, premiums, and out of pocket maximums, you really can’t afford it at all. And if the government takes it over, it will be a question of higher taxes. A lot higher.
Dr. Carroll mentioned that a fully-funded universal care system means we would have to DOUBLE the total Federal tax burden to pay for it. Yikes!
+Duffy Elmer But that would also eliminate all payments to health insurance companies. A typical middle-grade employer health plan costs the company $1288 per employee per month. Add to that the employees contribution and it’s more than the employee pays in taxes.
You can’t just look at the scare quotes about taxes — you have to figure the total cost.
This is a hugely disingenuous tactic. Assuming that is true (and I’ve never heard that figure but I’ll take it in good faith). To double the amount of taxes does not automatically mean that everyone pays double in taxes. Ideally you take most of that money from those who can afford to pay I.e. the rich and corporations. The ACA was funded by levying extra taxes on the rich. The US already has insanely low taxes when you account for loopholes and deductions. Sometimes the effective tax rate on corporations and super rich people is like 50% lower than the advertised rate. You could start by closing some of those loopholes. That would raise a lot of money on its own.
That’s the point. Eliminate the profit-based insurance companies and you would eliminate the co-pays, premiums, and out-of-pocket expenses. Taxes would be higher than today, but taxes would be lower than today’s taxes + insurance premiums + co-pays + out-of-pocket costs.
No one has, or can, deny that the other countries, with single-payer universal coverage, spend less, much less, per capita for better health outcomes. if there exists a system, worjking today all over the world, that is better and cheaper, why would you oppose it? Why would anyone?
It honestly does not require ultra high taxes to implement true universal health care. I paid 17 percent in income and payroll taxes and was able to get it down further with retirement savings deductions, and I’m in Canada… We have low taxes and universal care.
+James Adams Can you cite any evidence that other countries had lower healthcare costs than the US before going to a universal system?
The US as a country spends more per capita than any other country, because of the current system. Medicare is actually much more efficient than private insurance in delivering healthcare; 96% of every dollar spent by Medicare pays for coverage; in private insurance, it’s 66% of every dollar.
You still haven’t given any reason why the US government, uniquely in the world, cannot run a healthcare system.
+The Ark we have terrible wait times and patients run through like cattle here in the US… in addition to being stuck with a massive bill. Maybe if you’re very wealthy and can afford amazing healthcare then you don’t experience these problems, but most people do.
+James Adams What do you mean by demographics? Do you mean old people? Poor people? Or are you straight up dog whistling about lazy black people? Don’t get offended if you aren’t, but it’s a well known trope.
+Black Brit old people, sick people, obese people…that kind of thing. The kind of thing that is relevant to healthcare costs.
+peter collins that burden is on those advocating that I be forced into their system. You have to show that it has saved money, and it’s clear that this isn’t data that UHC advocates care to bring up.
Medicare is NOT more efficient.It does not have a 96% efficiency. This is a lie. Read up:
https://mises.org/wire/medicare-all-administrative-costs-are-much-higher-you-think
I have given plenty of reasons. The US government is already in our current system. We didn’t have expensive healthcare before it got into the game. That is the reason.
Actually is Medicare 2.0 for all. Because currently Medicare doesn’t cover vision and dental and new law sanders is promoting does.
since we already pay for it… it already comes out of our pay check. it makes sense that we should be able to use it.
Future dentist here – this channel’s content is brilliant & eye-opening, thank you!
U didn’t talk about Pramila Japayal House’s Version of MedicareForAll.
It should not raise our taxes if you take from the military budget and working class taxes would remain the same.