To the Editor:

“The Fantasy of Medicare for All,” by Scott W. Atlas (Op-Ed, March 10), did not mention that doctors are exhausted, dissatisfied and cynical dealing with private insurers’ regulations.

Pre-authorizations for medications, CAT and M.R.I. scans, and referrals to specialists, along with recording office visits on computers, have taken their toll on doctors. Patients suffer as well, for office visits are often rushed and impersonal, and patients leave without feeling that they have been listened to.

Worse, medical errors are more likely.

Patients do better when they feel that they have been treated as people and not as diseases. The chances of this happening would be greater with Medicare for All, which, although it would not be perfect, would have fewer regulations, fewer burned-out doctors, fewer unhappy patients and fewer risks of medical error.

So I strongly disagree with the statement that Medicare patients would be better served by the 28 private insurers that offer them private plans.