I read with dismay and disbelief President Trump’s op-ed in USA Today criticizing a Medicare for All health care financing plan. I found multiple lies and misleading statements in his opinion piece and am writing to correct his obvious attempt to mislead seniors and all Americans.
Mr. Trump falsely claimed that a single-payer Medicare for All would “end Medicare as we know it and take away benefits that seniors have paid for their entire lives.” This simply is not true. In fact, Bernie Sanders’ proposed Medicare for All plan would improve traditional Medicare, not end it. It would expand benefits for seniors, adding coverage for eye care, dentistry, hearing and additional benefits. Opening up the program to provide care for younger people would only strengthen it. He said: “I also made a solemn promise to our great seniors to protect Medicare.” But his administration is currently trying to cut $500 billion from the Medicare budget. No wonder we don’t believe him, since his actions contradict his words.
He said: “I am committed to resolutely defending Medicare and Social Security.” However, his administration is trying to undermine and de-fund both of these programs — and Obamacare, too. My reply to him is: “Please back up your words with actions. Show us.”
Mr. Trump stated: “Democrats would gut Medicare with their planned government takeover of American health care.” Actually, in a Medicare for All plan the government would handle the financing of health care, just like traditional Medicare does now. With a single-payer plan, we could have comprehensive, universal health care for all Americans, while preserving choice and the advantages of our private health care system, and improving it, too.
He called the single-payer plan “Medicare for None.” He clearly doesn’t understand the concepts. A single-payer plan would more honestly be called “Medicare for Everyone.”
He said “a government-run, single-payer healthcare system that eliminates all private and employer-based health care plans” would be a bad thing. In fact, removing the insurance industry from the health care system would improve it, and save money too. Imagine no longer having to worry about insurance bills, co-pays, deductibles, networks, paperwork, pre-approvals, coverage limits, etc. If we took the dollars that currently go into insurance company profits, and invested them directly into real medical care, we could have a better and more cost-effective system, too.
Mr. Trump said that a government-run, single-payer health care financing system would cost $32.6 trillion in its first 10 years. This figure comes from the recent Mercatus study which was done by a very conservative Koch brothers-funded economist. However, Mr. Trump neglected to mention that the same study found that a single-payer plan would cost about $3 trillion dollars less over 10 years compared to our present system, while also insuring 30 million more Americans, providing more services, and covering everyone. This study showed that this health care finance plan is actually a fiscal bargain.
A Medicare for All financing system really is the best solution our current health care crisis.
To demonstrate our strong support for a single-payer system, I urge my fellow Massachusetts citizens to vote “yes” on the non-binding ballot question coming in November, which instructs our representatives to implement a single-payer plan in our state.
Our Massachusetts legislators can courageously provide leadership for the whole nation by passing this common-sense, already-proven, money-saving plan for our healthcare.
Lawrence Pareles, MD
Florence