into the provider reimbursement issue immediately (unless you dramatically raise Medicare reimbursement rates from the current 80% or so now.)
Kamala Harris unveils 'Medicare for All' plan that preserves role for private insurance
https://edition.cnn.com/2019/07/29/politics/kamala-harris-health-care-plan/index.html
Harris' proposal, which her campaign unveiled just days before she takes the stage in Detroit for the second Democratic presidential debate, hosted by CNN, positions her to the right of progressives, such as Sen. Bernie Sanders, whose plan goes farther and gets to a "Medicare for All" health care system more quickly. But it is to the left of moderates like former Vice President Joe Biden, who would retain the present system but add a government-run -- and presumably less expensive -- insurance option to the Affordable Care Act exchanges.
The future of private insurance in America has become a key point of difference among the more than 20 candidates running for the 2020 Democratic nomination and a litmus test among progressives who have publicly declared their support for Medicare for All. Harris has offered mixed messages so far on the role of private insurance, at times indicating she'd eliminate private coverage and at other points saying that she'd keep it in some form.
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The Harris plan makes clear she supports a role for private insurance companies within the health care system, in a stark difference from the Medicare for All Act proposed by Sanders, which essentially eliminates private insurance. Harris calls for transitioning to a Medicare for All-type system over a 10-year period -- longer than the four-year transition period laid out by Sanders. Her plan also does not raise middle class taxes, another distinction with Sanders.
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Harris would expand on the current Medicare system, which consists of the traditional Medicare program but also provides a private insurance option called Medicare Advantage. About one third of Medicare enrollees -- or 22 million people -- have signed up for these private plans, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.
"We will allow private insurers to offer Medicare plans as part of this system that adhere to strict Medicare requirements on costs and benefits," writes Harris. "Medicare will set the rules of the road for these plans, including price and quality, and private insurance companies will play by those rules, not the other way around."
Harris' proposal would greatly change and likely shrink the offering of employer-sponsored health plans, which now cover more than 150 million Americans. Employers and unions would have the option to provide a private Medicare plan that would have to be certified by the Medicare program. They could also offer private supplemental insurance plans that covers cosmetic surgery or medical care abroad.
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Harris expands the transition time for achieving her Medicare for All goal to 10 years, as compared to the four years proposed by Sanders under his Senate bill. But Americans will also be able to buy into Medicare immediately if they want. "By extending the phase-in period to 10 years, we will decrease the overall cost of the program compared to the Sanders proposal, and we can save additional money by accelerating delivery system reforms and value-based care that rewards meaningful outcomes," explained Harris, who has signed on as a co-sponsor to the Sanders bill.
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A campaign aide says Harris' health care proposal would expand Medicare's coverage to dental, vision and long-term care. Out of pocket costs would be capped at $200, similar to the Sanders plan, so Harris' plan virtually eliminates cost sharing and ensures no deductibles or copays.
One issue Harris doesn't address in her post is how insurers would get reimbursed. They currently get paid by the federal government and, in some cases, enrollees pay a monthly premium in addition to their Medicare premium.
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Congratulations to our presumptive Democratic nominee, Joe Biden!
= new reply since forum marked as read
If I were to vote in a presidential