No on Medicare for All - for Now
I am not sure if I am in favor of “Medicare for All” and think that more investigation and thought needs to be given to the issue. On the flip side, however, I do not feel that the rendering of needed medical care should be based on the ability of the person/patient to pay. So, what is the solution? I have a couple of ideas. Granted I do not know the cost, but some bean counter probably can come up with something. Emergency treatment for all. We have this already in the form of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA) which requires hospitals and emergency providers to evaluate and stabilize any patient that presents themselves for services. The pitfall of this program has been that less than 40% of it gets reimbursed for the services. This causes “cost-shifting” - -increasing the cost to those that can pay to pay for those that do not or cannot pay. This cost shifting on the part of the hospital includes increasing the cost of certain test or procedures or even...