For those left wanting about the particulars of Bernie's single-payer plan, wait no more.

[Fawke Em]

Indexed, informative and easily laid out.

https://berniesanders.com/medicare-for-all/

[Gothmog]

1. Bernie Sanders’s single-payer plan isn’t a plan at all

Ezra Klein is not impressed http://www.vox.com/2016/1/17/10784528/bernie-sanders-single-payer-health-care

On Sunday night, mere hours before the fourth Democratic debate, Sanders tried to head off Clinton's attacks by releasing his plan. Only what he released isn't a plan. It is, to be generous, a gesture towards a future plan.

To be less generous — but perhaps more accurate — this is a document that lets Sanders say he has a plan, but doesn't answer the most important questions about how his plan would work, or what it would mean for most Americans. Sanders is detailed and specific in response to the three main attacks Clinton has launched, but is vague or unrealistic on virtually every other issue. The result is that he answers Clinton's criticisms while raising much more profound questions about his own ideas.

Sanders promises his health care system will cover pretty much everything while costing the average American almost nothing, and he relies mainly on vague "administrative" savings and massive taxes on the rich to make up the difference. It's everything critics fear a single payer plan would be, and it lacks the kind of engagement with the problems of single-payer health systems necessary to win over skeptics.....

In the absence of these kinds of specifics, Sanders has offered a puppies-and-rainbows approach to single-payer — he promises his plan will cover everything while costing the average family almost nothing. This is what Republicans fear liberals truly believe: that they can deliver expansive, unlimited benefits to the vast majority of Americans by stacking increasingly implausible, and economically harmful, taxes on the rich. Sanders is proving them right.

A few days ago, I criticized Hillary Clinton for not leveling with the American people. She seemed, I wrote, "scared to tell voters what she really thinks for fear they'll disagree." Here, Sanders shows he doesn't trust voters either. Rather than making the trade-offs of a single-payer plan clear, he's obscured them further. In answering Clinton's criticisms, he's raised real concerns about the plausibility of his own ideas.

This is Ezra's area and he is not impressed

[Fawke Em]

3. I don't care.

Ezra should have read S1782.

If he hasn't then screw him.

I told everyone all weekend the rate would be 2.2 percent on workers because I'd read the damn bill.

[Gothmog]

4. Again I trust Ezra here

[Fawke Em]

6. You trust Predictwise.

I'm in good company.

[Gothmog]

15. I like living in real world

If you think that the free market is wrong, then put your money where you mouth is. You could make a breat reurn buying an option based on your belief in Sander

[leftofcool]

27. Correct! It's a pipe dream.

[Gothmog]

2. Sanders' plan isn't Medicare-for-All

From Ezra's article http://www.vox.com/2016/1/17/10784528/bernie-sanders-single-payer-health-care

Sanders calls his plan Medicare-for-All. But it actually has nothing to do with Medicare. He's not simply expanding Medicare coverage to the broader population — he makes that clear when he says his plan means "no more copays, no more deductibles." Medicare includes copays and deductibles. The list of what Sanders's plan would cover far exceeds what Medicare offers, suggesting, more or less, that pretty much everything will be covered, under all circumstances.

Bernie’s plan will cover the entire continuum of health care, from inpatient to outpatient care; preventive to emergency care; primary care to specialty care, including long-term and palliative care; vision, hearing and oral health care; mental health and substance abuse services; as well as prescription medications, medical equipment, supplies, diagnostics and treatments. Patients will be able to choose a health care provider without worrying about whether that provider is in-network and will be able to get the care they need without having to read any fine print or trying to figure out how they can afford the out-of-pocket costs.

Sanders goes on to say that his plan means "no more fighting with insurance companies when they fail to pay for charges."

To be generous, it's possible that Sanders is just being cynical in his wording, and what he means is that, under his plan, individuals have to fight with the government rather than private insurers when their claims are denied.

But the implication to most people, I think, is that claim denials will be a thing of the past — a statement that belies the fights patients have every day with public insurers like Medicare and Medicaid, to say nothing of the fights that go on in the Canadian, German, or British health care systems.

What makes that so irresponsible is that it stands in flagrant contradiction to the way single-payer plans actually work — and the way Sanders's plan will have to work if its numbers are going to add up.

Behind Sanders's calculations, both for how much his plan will cost and how much Americans will benefit, lurk extremely optimistic promises about how much money single payer will save. And those promises can only come true if the government starts saying no quite a lot, in ways that will make people very, very angry.

[Hoyt]

8. I believe the last paragraph nails it. Sanders is projecting a lot of savings that have not

materialized in the 40 years I've been hearing the same fantasy. It's going to cost a lot more. Maybe we should pay it to insure everyone, but be honest about it.

[Cassiopeia]

11. That's right

lets maintain a middleman that receives compensation while providing nothing.

We cannot fix our healthcare system if we refuse to remove the profit.

[Hoyt]

12. At best insurers rake off 5% or so in profit. So we'd save that. Where does the rest come from.

Under the administration cap ACA has, which is 15/20% they have to pay for investment in complex systems, claims adjudication, utilization review, network management, call centers for questions, etc. Much of that will continue under MFA. But that 6% or so doesn't approach the projections Sanders makes.

I am actually for Medicare for all (MFA), have been since at least 1978 when I worked for a state Medicaid agency. But we should be honest about cost, and the things that will have to be done to keep cost down which includes saying "No" as Klein says.

[Kentonio]

13. Huge amounts of the administrative work will no longer be needed (obviously some will).

No advertising and marketing budgets required, no stockholder payouts. The potential savings of consolidating into a single large non-profit organization and the vast savings gained by switching to a single payer negotiation with the drug and medical supply companies is just huge.

[Hoyt]

14. You ever see what doctors and hospitals have to do to get a Medicare claim paid.

It will be likely worse under a system that will have to take new steps to control costs. That marketing budget and stockholder payout comes out of the 6% or so. Cut that out, heck cut out 10%, and you still don't get Sanders' projections.

Drugs make up 10% of our total health care expenditures. Sure we can force prices down some and refuse to pay for some drugs like other countries. But you can't cut out enough to get to Sanders' projections without affecting research on drugs that save billions on hospitalization, etc.

[Cassiopeia]

17. Often times a lot less than what they go through with for profit

Insurance.

My last visit with my oncologist the first words out of his mouth were your insurance company sucks. He had spent 2 hours of his day on the phone getting a cat scan approved.

Will the system have some bulbs along the way? Sure, but the medical staff I've spoken with consistently think single payer is the way to go. If medicare billing was so over the top difficult they would not say that.

[leftofcool]

28. Medicare takes 6 months sometimes and clear and pay.

And I should know, we have it.

[Warren Stupidity]

16. Yes the people in Canada Germany and Britain are up in arms demanding the privatization of their

systems.

A public insurance system means that instead of a for-profit insurance company making decisions to enhance their bottom line, a system accountable to our representatives, and by extension to us, will be making those decisions. Instead of accountability to stock holders who have no interest in anything other than profit, it is a system accountable to the people it serves.

[NowSam]

5. I see companies loving this

As their costs decrease. Medical benefits as compensation are very expensive for companies. They should love this. Dentists will love it too as more people will go to the dentist. Dental care is very expensive for so many people and not covered very well by current plans. Doctors and Dentists and Nurses and Hospitals and all the Healthcare industry will be able to see more patients and give the care needed. This plan ensures they get paid.

I see the entire economy boosted from this plan as people are not bankrupted by medical bills and such and save big on premiums - this means more money to spend in other sectors of the economy.

I think this is a very good plan. The ultra wealthy may not like it but quite frankly their lifestyle won't change one iota if they are taxed more. In fact the happier society they would inhabit should improve their environment as well. More registers open, improved customer service... Let the good times roll!

I'm feeling the Bern.

[stopwastingmymoney]

7. I think you're right

Lower overall cost for everyone, other countries do it, why not us?

[in_cog_ni_to]

9. It's a great plan!

PEACE
LOVE
BERNIE

[senz]

10. K&R -- Thanks for this, Fawke Em

[George II]

18. It's not a "plan" and there are very few "particulars" - almost all conceptual.

[Live and Learn]

20. Are you having trouble understanding it? I simplified it for you in post 19. nt

[George II]

24. No, I have no problem understanding it. The devil is in the details - how does he pay for it but...

.....more importantly how does he plan on getting it passed?

[Live and Learn]

25. Both have been answered many times.

The paying for it part is in the plan which you claim to understand.

The passing part of it is up to us (well, I will exclude you) and I am pretty sure we are up to the job.

[NCTraveler]

29. Is there more than is at the link in the op.

I have no idea how that can be simplified any further and still be called a plan. I'm guessing the simplified version is the one in the op. Do you have a link to the full plan? Not sure how it is being called one right now.

[Live and Learn]

30. I am sorry, I don't understand your post. nt

[Live and Learn]

19. No premiums, no deductibles, no waste of time comparing plans, everybody covered, much cheaper

And no dependency on employers. I love it!!!

[Uncle Joe]

22. Not to mention stronger bargaining power in regards to prescription drug prices,

we currently pay the highest in the world.

[Live and Learn]

23. Yes, much cheaper all the way around. nt

[Uncle Joe]

21. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, Fawke Em.

[Faux pas]

26. Kicketty Kickin'

[George II]

31. Interesting (and objective) read:

http://www.vox.com/2016/1/17/10784528/bernie-sanders-single-payer-health-care