“Medicare for All” would save the U.S $5.1 Trillion over 10 years

[u/The-Lucky-Investor]

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/11/30/easy-pay-something-costs-less-new-study-shows-medicare-all-would-save-us-51-trillion

[u/xThe_Maestro]

In cartoon reddit America maybe. In real life America routine doctor visits are covered if you're one of the rare 95% of Americans with health insurance coverage.

[u/SnooMarzipans436 → u/xThe_Maestro]

The other 5% of Americans:

[u/Forshea → u/xThe_Maestro]

95% of Americans with health insurance coverage.

Thanks, Obama!

[u/xThe_Maestro → u/Forshea]

Yes, at the cost of tens of billions dollars we went from 90% coverage to 95%.

[u/Forshea → u/xThe_Maestro]

85%, and the Affordable Care Act is also the reason all of those 95% have their doctor's visits covered, since that is a thing it legally mandates.

Thanks, Obama!

[u/xThe_Maestro → u/Forshea]

Dude, as someone older than 10 when Obamacare passed...they already did.

[u/Forshea → u/xThe_Maestro]

Dude, as somebody who was an adult with a job well before Obamacare passed, no they didn't.

[u/xThe_Maestro → u/Forshea]

The heck were you buying? You had to really low ball to get a plan that didn't cover routine visits.

[u/LongJohnSelenium → u/xThe_Maestro]

Is there something you'd rather be done with that money than provide health care to people?

[u/ajh1717 → u/xThe_Maestro]

How much does United Health make every year?

[u/DesertSeagle → u/xThe_Maestro]

You realize 5% is 15 million people, right? And that the correct number of people is actually around 45 million at a 15% increase now? Are you also aware that there have been several improvements to our healthcare because of the ACA, like, for instance, not being able to deny people with pre-existing conditions, and tens of thousands of peoples lives saved? And that its issues were not that it went too far but rather that the plan was watered down by partisan bickering, pharmaceutical, and healthcare providers lobbying against what's good for the people?

There's also a lot of data that seems to imply that the ACA slowed rising healthcare costs.

https://www.americanprogress.org/article/10-ways-aca-improved-health-care-past-decade/

https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2014/02/06/six-economic-benefits-affordable-care-act

https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/10.1377/hlthaff.2018.05085

[u/k3nnyd → u/xThe_Maestro]

I wonder how many of the 95% have a deductible over like $5000-8000. Even single patient insurance can be that high. I am a healthy person who hasn't even needed to spend anywhere near that amount on total medical care in more than a decade.

[u/butthole_surferr → u/xThe_Maestro]

You realize that 5% is FIFTEEN MILLION PEOPLE, right? Also, 95% have health insurance but there's no fucking way most of those people have FUNCTIONAL insurance. At least half of those plans are near-worthless and have deductibles so high the policy holder couldn't afford most treatment anyway. Not to mention that if you're insured and need emergency treatment or surgery you're probably getting billed for out of network care they elected for while you were unconscious.

I happen to have public insurance in my state. It's fucking AWESOME. My daily medicine is free, my hospital bills after my car accident were free, I've NEVER waited more than a month for anything, and I never have to worry about getting hit with out of network charges. My only complaint is that they frequently grumble and try to dodge refilling my prescriptions for no clear reason, but whenever that happens I make 2 or 3 unpleasant phone calls and then go pick up my fucking prescription for free.

It ain't perfect but it sure beats medical bankruptcy, and if it works at scale where I live it can work at scale anywhere.

[u/xThe_Maestro → u/butthole_surferr]

Tell that to Cali, they looked into it and realized it would bankrupt the state. Every state that looks into it comes to the same conclusion.

[u/Zamaiel → u/xThe_Maestro]

8% are uninsured, and a further 8 underinsured with fear of costs reducing access. So its more like 84%.

[u/xThe_Maestro → u/Zamaiel]

I mean, if you just make crap up and go by how people feel I can see how you could come to that conclusion.

[u/Zamaiel → u/xThe_Maestro]

Well, I was being generous. The actual rate of uninsured is 9%. Underinsured is a bit more dependent on how you define underinsured, but it may be as high as 23%, plus 11% with a coverage gap.

The CDC agrees, and finds 8 % uninsured. The closest number to your "95% has insurance" claim is if you only count working age white people where 7% is uninsured.

[u/bigexplosion → u/xThe_Maestro]

People can't know that their employer picked a shitty plan?