Medicare for All and the Silly Season for Health Reform

Mark V. Pauly, PhD, writes:

"Perhaps you caught the recent two-page spread in the New York Times (August 13) in which health policy experts weighed in on what they thought should be part of the Democrats’ Medicare for All. Ignoring the fact that this speculation will only become relevant if the Democrats capture the presidency and a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate, (we can dream, can’t we?), what might you learn from reading this?

One thing you will not learn is what it will take for MFA to lower medical spending, which was not discussed at all. The primary driver of lower spending forecasts in these plans is to reduce prices paid for medical goods and services. Whether insurance administrative costs would be lowered (and insurance firm workers and hospital reimbursement specialists would be laid off) is up in the air in this discussion, since such savings depend on how many different insurance plans will be offered. Providing more choice of plans to buyers costs money, and the experts differed on whether they thought choice was good or bad for consumers."