opinion

Opinion: Medicare for all is not socialized medicine

Medicare for all has been called socialized medicine. It is not.

In socialized medicine doctors and hospitals work for the government. Conversely, in a Medicare for all, or single payer system, doctors are in private practice and are paid on a fee-for-service basis from government funds, just as with the current Medicare. The government does not own or manage medical practices or hospitals. Physicians would have autonomy over their patients'care.

Opponents of Medicare for all often call it socialized medicine in order to block any conversation about the benefits of a single payer system in contrast to the current multiple payer system of private insurance:

No more uninsured. All U.S. residents would be covered for all medically necessary services, including doctor, hospital, preventive, long-term care, mental health, reproductive health care, dental, vision, prescription drug, and medical supply costs. No more medical bankruptcies. No more insurance premiums to pay. Savings would be obtained by replacing insurance company premiums with new taxes based on ability to pay. 95 percent of all households would save money, according to Physicians for a National Health Program. Less expensive medications. When all patients are under one system, the payer can wield more clout with drug negotiations. For example, the Veterans Administration gets a 40 percent discount on drugs. Much lower administrative costs. Currently, Medicare spends about 2-3 percent on administrative costs compared with about 30 percent for those with private insurance, according to Business Leaders Transforming Health Care. More money would go to the actual providers, rather than administrative overhead. With Medicare for all, we can reduce the complexity associated with commercial health insurance.

The League of Women Voters has been in favor of a single-payer system like Medicare for all since 1993 because of these benefits and others. Please reject the cries of "socialized medicine". Join us and participate in local, state, and national conversations to improve our health care system. We can do better for our citizens.

Joyce Devaney is a member of the health care team for the League of Women Voters of Larimer County.