Private health insurers seek to defund and privatize traditional Medicare by supplanting it with the much less efficient, more costly, Medicare Advantage Plans that are paid tens of billions of dollars in extra subsidies annually. This piece by American Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), representative of private insurers, thanks 368 Congress members for their “strong bipartisan” advocacy for enrollment of those over 65 in Medicare Advantage Plans. Even Congress members who ostensibly support “Medicare-for-All,” have endorsed AHIP’s letter effectively promoting privatization of Medicare. Most of Colorado’s delegation, Democrats & Republicans, have signed. Check to see if your representatives signed - let them know that privatizing Medicare by replacing it with Medicare Advantage is the wrong way to go.

February 7, 2019

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. 

As head of Montana’s Employee Benefit Plan, Marilyn Bartlett negotiated uniform hospital and pharmaceutical rates, saving system from bankruptcy. What Bartlett achieved in Montana over a two-year period can be accomplished with relative ease nationally under a Medicare-for-All national health insurance model.   By Marsha Allen, NPR October 2, 2018.  Photo by Mike Albans for NPR.

The Pagosa Daily Post published a letter to the editor written by HCACF Board Member, Michele Swenson.  Ms. Swenson explains how single payer healthcare is a financing model and not a government takeover,  and clearly cites the difference between healthcare delivery and health insurance.

North Denver neighborhoods of Globeville, Elyria and Swansea, categorized as “Environmental Injustice” communities, pay a very high price in terms of physical and mental health of residents. HCACF Board member Michele Swenson's video investigates this environmental and social injustice and how it directly relates to health adversities in the neighborhood.  

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 Candidate Health Reform Questionnaire redefines health care reform dialogue in terms of financial sustainability and actuarially-sound insurance policy, based on that most basic insurance concept - a single large risk pool. Only diversification of risk through single large-risk pool insurance can lower costs and provide equitable benefits for all. 

Background facts regarding sustainability of Single Public Payer Health Insurance model vs. the unsustainable Multiple Payer Insurance model. Includes a draft Caucus Resolution to bring to Party Caucuses on March 6, 2018.

A presentation by two Health Care for All Colorado Foundation board members maps out advantages to individuals, providers, businesses, and to the U.S. economy of improving and expanding Medicare-for-All. The sustainable single large risk pool health insurance model is capable of leveraging economies of scale to negotiate global budgets and bulk rates. Dr. Thomas Gottlieb and Robert Messman, M.B.A., describe the means to finance the Single Public Payer model by consolidation of health insurances using the business strategy of Mergers and Acquisitions.

Read Board Member Michele Swenson's article in the Huffington Post:  Republicans’ “free-market” mantra implies that greater numbers of commercial health insurances will increase healthcare access while decreasing cost - nothing could be further from the truth. Breaking up health coverage into numerous small risk pools is the most unsustainable model of health financing.