Private Equity: The Perps Behind Destructive Hospital Surprise Billing

By Yves Smith for Naked Capitalism I have to confess to having missed how private equity is a central bad actor in the “surprise billing” scam that is being targeted by Federal and state legislation. This abuse takes place when hospital patients, even when using a hospital that is in their insurer’s network, are hit […]

‘Bad policy and bad politics’: Kamala Harris accused of hijacking Medicare for All label to push more industry-friendly plan

“Harris calls her plan ‘Medicare for All,’ but it’s not even close.” By Jake Johnson for Nation of Change Single-payer advocates on Monday accused Sen. Kamala Harris of hijacking the Medicare for All label to push an alternative that would fail to fundamentally overhaul America’s for-profit healthcare system. Harris, a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, outlined what she […]

The 5 Biggest Lies Joe Biden Is Telling About Medicare for All

Joe Biden keeps lying about Medicare for All and won’t stop anytime soon — he has to, to sell his own Bidencare plan. But Medicare for All will always win on the merits. By Tim Higginbotham for Jacobin Ever since Joe Biden kicked off his 2020 presidential campaign by attending a big-dollar fundraiser with a […]

How Value Based Programs Are Undermining Medicare and Single Payer

By Russell Mokhiber, Morgan County USA There is a growing sentiment, bubbling from the ground up, that before we get to Medicare for All, we need to first fix Medicare. Richard Bazarian, an eye surgeon in Portland, Maine, is supportive of the idea. “The senators who tout Medicare for All could prove their commitment by […]

How Medicare for All Would Stop Hospitals Like Hahnemann From Closing

By Adam Gaffney for The Nation On Monday, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders joined hospital staff, patients, and activists in a large protest outside the doors of Hahnemann University Hospital, a major safety-net hospital in northern Philadelphia. The demonstration came days after another rally at the hospital, attended by an estimated 800 protesters, last week. The […]

Voters Are Less Scared of Government Healthcare Than You Think

By Libby Watson for Splinter News Democratic supporters of the public option, which include Joe Biden but also Amy Klobuchar and Kirsten Gillibrand, fear more than anything the wrath of the imaginary Voter Who Would Die For Their Private Insurer. A new poll from Morning Consult reveals that one particular aspect of this is flawed. […]

UnitedHealth’s political and financial heft just keeps growing

By Bob Herman for Axios UnitedHealth Group’s stock fell 2.3% yesterday even though the company continues to print money and raised its profit projections for the rest of the year. The big picture: Wall Street is quibbling over the “quality” of UnitedHealth’s earnings beat, but that doesn’t really matter. UnitedHealth remains the most financially powerful […]

Why we need Medicare for All

By Dr. Jack Donaldson for VC Star Angélica is a 44-year-old, undocumented, transgender woman who I have only seen a handful of times. In 2017, she qualified for one month of care under emergency Medi-Cal, after a visit to the emergency room. I was able to start her on gender-affirming hormones, but shortly thereafter she […]

Harvard researchers: ‘Medicare for All’ wouldn’t overwhelm hospitals

By Jacqueline Renfrow for Fierce Healthcare There seems to be no evidence that supports the belief that there would be a surge in hospital use if the government implements “Medicare for All,” according to a new analysis published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.  Much of the debate around Medicare for All centers on a fear […]