Medicare Advantage IS the privatization of Medicare. The Trump administration (Seema Verma, administrator of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services) is determined to destroy traditional Medicare as we know it. 

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. 

Florida Gubernatorial Candidate Andrew Gillum relates his choice to support National Public Health Insurance financing, and why single payer financing is not feasible at the state level. From CBSNews.com

HCAC Foundation Board member Robert Messman has revised his original paper on sustainably financing and implementing a single insurer health care system.

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.

Adam Gaffney from PNHP examines the history of universal healthcare and his hope that the Democrats do not repeat mistakes from the past. He recognizes the need for a single-payer healthcare system and identifies the answer to be a “fully public national health insurance providing comprehensive, universal coverage to the entire nation.”

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.

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.

HCACF is pleased to announce we have published our first newsletter for 2018.  We hope you will take time to read this newsletter and all of the links to our articles, videos and interviews.  We welcome your comments and ideas, as well as your suggestions for our future publications.

Tom Gottlieb attended the HealthcareNOW Strategy Conference in Minneapolis June 22-24, 2018.