The time is now: Medicare for all

The 20th century was shaped by advances in engineering, physics, computer science and chemistry, but our current century will be the time of life sciences. We are entering an era when patients will receive personalized medicine tailored to match their genetic profiles, when new stem cell therapies can regenerate damaged organs, and when molecular diagnosis of cancer and other diseases will revolutionize their treatment.

Yet the cruel irony of these advances is that they have outstripped the progress of our public policy. For nearly a century, Americans have sought to make health care a right enjoyed by all, rather than a privilege reserved for a few. But time and again, the quest for quality health care for all has been thwarted by those who profit from our current disjointed, inefficient and inequitable health care system.


As a result, nearly 47 million Americans lack health care coverage -- an increase of more than 6 million since the year President Bush took office. Four in five of the uninsured are from working families. Nearly half have postponed needed medical care because of the cost, and a third skipped a recommended treatment because they could not afford it. Were this the limit of our failure in health care, it would be shame enough, but America's health care crisis does not end with those who lack coverage entirely.

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Millions of Americans face agonizing choices each month between paying their health premiums, their rent or their grocery bills. In six years, families have seen their health insurance premiums jump 87 percent while earnings rose only 20 percent. Is it any wonder that half of all personal bankruptcies are the result of overwhelming health costs?

This new year brings a new Congress, a new mandate for change from the American people, and it ought to bring a new resolution to make health care a national priority. We can reform our system, and we must. We've wasted too much time already, allowing "Harry and Louise" scare tactics to stand in the way of the progress we know is possible. ("Harry and Louise" were the characters in a highly effective 1993 ad opposing Bill Clinton's health care plan.) And I suspect that the nation's health care has reached such a crisis point that voters will look for presidential candidates in 2008 who lay out clear roadmaps for providing quality, affordable health care for everyone in America.

Our experience last year in adopting health reforms in Massachusetts shows that this can happen. Political leaders, business representatives, health experts and average citizens all came together around a health reform plan. They turned a blind eye to the forces that have blocked real health care reform for more than a decade and took bold action so that Massachusetts is well on the way to becoming the first state in the nation to provide health coverage to all of its citizens.

Congress should follow this lead. If there is ever a time to solve our national crisis, it is now. I believe that the best plan for the nation is to build on a program that all Americans know and respect by creating Medicare for All. Medicare administrative costs are low. Patient satisfaction is high. Patients can choose their doctors and hospitals. And all Americans will be free from the fear of medical expenses and able to seek the best possible care when illness strikes.

Today, House Committee on Energy and Commerce Chairman John Dingell (D-Mich.) and I are introducing legislation to extend Medicare to all Americans, from birth to the end of life. In addition, our plan will reduce costs and improve quality, including more effective use of health information technology. It also puts a new emphasis on preventive care, because preventing illness before it occurs is always better and less expensive than treating patients after they become ill.

Our proposal will be entirely voluntary. Americans who wish to stay in their current employer-sponsored plans can do so, and employers can tailor their health plans to provide additional services to their employees that wrap around Medicare coverage. Those who prefer private insurance can choose any of the plans offered to members of Congress and the president.

The battle to achieve Medicare for All will not be easy. Powerful interests will strongly oppose it because they profit immensely from the status quo. But no battle worth fighting is easy -- and the struggle to fulfill the promise of this century of the life sciences for all our citizens is as worthy as any in American history.

I urge my colleagues to make good on the promise of America and see that all our citizens receive the quality health care that should be their birthright. As we showed in Massachusetts, where there is the will and the tenacity to succeed, no challenge is insurmountable. Let 2007 be the year that we rededicate ourselves to ensuring that all Americans receive quality health care.

Edward M. Kennedy, a Democrat, is the senior senator from Massachusetts. He is the chairman of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.