In the article We Don’t Need Private Health Insurance, a case is made that Medicare for All (M4A) health care reform is in fact a simple substitution of the private health insurance by a public national health insurance that provides access to basic health services. The article further defines the role for private health insurance including; “duplicative” plans, “supplementary” plans, and “complementary” plans, all of which are defined by the writer.

On February 4, 2019 Public Citizen published a report in support of Medicare-for-All.  This 69-page document called The Case for Medicare for All summarizes how a Medicare-for-All healthcare system would guarantee high quality healthcare to all U.S. citizens; even to those in need of chronic care or who might require preventative care.  The Political Economy Research Institute published its report called Economic Analysis of Medicare for All in November, 2018.

The people will win Medicare for All. Thousands united this week to prove it. Mark Dudzic, National Coordinator of Labor Campaign for Single Payer, was on Nurse Talk discussing the need for a grassroots movement in support of healthcare justice. His organization, Labor Campaign for Single Payer, deems healthcare to be a necessity and strongly supports a Single-Payer Medicare-for-All healthcare system for all Americans.  Mark Dudzic calls for activists to get involved, especially during the Week of Action February 9-13, when there will be Barnstorm events throughout the country in support of Medicare-for-All.  

Wendell Potter highlights the need for health system reformers to "focus on for Medicare for All—health insurance companies are interested in profits, not playing fair. I should know. I used to be a vice president at Cigna".  Common Dreams December 15, 2018

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.