Yale study gives Sanders ammunition to tout Medicare for All
New Haven RegisterFeb 23, 2020
Since professor
During Wednesday's Democratic primary debate in
The
But it's unclear whether having a Yale-led study to back up his plan will help Sanders in the long run.
"It's an academic study that will probably reinforce the support" of Sanders voters, said
"The key will be, how do you transform an academic study into a meme that will resonate with voters and be shared and disseminated by supporters?" Hanley said.
And President
"Although health care expenditure per capita is higher in the
Previous estimates of how Medicare for All would change the cost of health care vary from a 16.9 percent increase to a 27 percent decrease, according to the paper. The
"Despite higher national healthcare expenditure than any other country, constituting 18% of gross domestic product, the
"I'm happy that we can help to dispel some misconceptions about Medicare for All," said Galvani. "I think it's paramount for the health-care system to save lives, but it's great when we can save money at the same time."
She said that in the existing system, "the cost of hospital services varies widely," and that if Medicare rates were used for all procedures, "we would save
Another problem noted by the authors is that while appendectomies cost anywhere from
"Medicare overhead is 2.2 percent compared with more than 12 percent for private insurance," Galvani said. "If we achieve the Medicare overhead rate, that would save the country more than
Galvani said there are other advantages to Medicare for All, such as reducing the time doctors must spend on paperwork, giving them "more time with their patients, which should also improve the quality of care."
Also, "there's this misperception that people will have to give up their providers," she said, when in fact, a Medicare for All plan "will erase in-network and out-of-network barriers, so it will expand choice."
Ending the system of having health insurance as an employee benefit "eliminates the danger of losing health care when it's needed most," Galvani said. "The Americans with Disabilities Act doesn't protect people after an illness becomes burdensome to their employer, so if you get cancer and you miss work ... it's legal to fire you for that reason and you've lost health insurance ... and of course that gravely impacts health outcomes."
In terms of paying for health care, Galvani said employers pay on average 70 percent of health insurance premiums and employees 30 percent. While income taxes would rise, they would not overtake what is spent now and "both the employers and workers would benefit," she said. Income tax increases would not be as large if they were offset by a tax on the wealth of the very rich, as both Sanders and Warren propose.
"On average, the vast majority of Americans are going to be better off," Galvani said. "Middle-class Americans are going to be better off."
Rose said he doesn't believe the study will persuade many who oppose Medicare for All to support it. "It just seems as if it's providing a little more evidence and more data that's generally within the framework of his argument anyway," he said.
On the other hand, the study might serve to harden conservatives' opposition, Rose said. "I think there's an inherent suspicion sometimes of academic studies," he said. "I think people would be somewhat skeptical" of the authors' conclusions.
"I just don't see how this is going to be a game-changer," he said.
Hanley, however, said the "imprimatur of Yale" would help Sanders within the Democratic Party. "I think it will have legs," he said. "Health care is one of the principle issues of the campaign and whether it's Medicare for All or hybrid or a more advanced version of the Affordable Care Act ... any study which will support someone's position will be used in the campaign."
edward.stannard@hearstmediact.com; 203-680-9382
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