This piece by CMS promotes privatization of health care financing, including Medicare 'Advantage' plans that use the pretense of 'choice' and 'competition' to sell plans to enhance the bottom line of multiple private insurers, while ultimately gouging taxpayer dollars. Multiple payer insurers actually reduce 'choice' of providers by reducing the size of their provider networks - only traditional Medicare offers true full 'choice' of providers. Also, true beneficial 'competition' should be among providers, not multiple profiteering insurers.

Many efforts in Washington focus on the privatization of Medicare to perpetuate a fragmented multi-payer financing model that is unsustainable and increases administrative costs. One-third of all Medicare beneficiaries are now on private Medicare Advantage plans, which have become major profit centers for commercial insurances who game the system to cover only the healthy. The best means to universal healthcare is one single large risk pool, traditional Medicare insurance. 

Medicare for All and the Myth of the 40% Physician Pay Cut  Dr. Carol Paris, President of PNHP (Physicians for a National Health Program), defends how Medicare-for-All decreases administrative waste without affecting a physician's salary.   She believes that the insurance companies are the big winners with our current system while patients are suffering. What are your thoughts?  Please write your comments below.

Senator Bernie Sanders makes the case for Medicare-for-All to replace the current healthcare system "that works for Wall Street investors, insurance companies and the pharmaceutical industry" and ignores the needs of the people.

Donna Smith has been a leader in the fight for universal health care for many years and a relentless advocate for health care reform. Read how this HCACF Board member and former Executive Director of the Progressive Democrats of America's dedication has taken its toll on her personal health; yet she continues to pursue and support her dream of universal health care for all. 

Do you consider healthcare to be a right or a commodity? View the video or the read the text of this Denver7 360 story to explore multiple sides and different perspectives of this issue. Then read a response by Board member Michele Swenson.  What are your thoughts? Please write your comments below.

The Medicaid Program is designed to provide health and social services to the vulnerable. The intent of a “work program” is to punish, not provide help.   

Donna Smith, Senior Healthcare Correspondent and Executive Director of the Progressive Democrats, was recently interviewed on Nurse Talk as they took a look back on Michael Moore's movie SICKO to see what advances or progress has been made in the past nine years. Donna is an HCAC Foundation Board member.

Health Care Status in America Interview: FSTV Talks with HCACF Board member Donna Smith about Healthcare.