To: The United States House of Representatives, The United States Senate, and President Donald Trump
A MEDICARE OPTION IS THE CURE
Democrats and concerned citizens, we need to go on the offense. Disrupt and counter the GOP by forcefully advocating a Medicare Option for the ACA as the superior alternative. Merely defending the ACA and/or attacking GOP initiatives are not enough.
A Medicare Option would allow for anyone to choose to be on Medicare with all its accompanying benefits (ask any senior over 65 about them). Forget about all this junk that is being proposed today which will make health insurance affordable mostly for the rich. A Medicare Option will help us migrate to Universal Coverage—in other words “Medicare for All”. Everyone will have available quality healthcare at substantially lower costs.
Lobby and/or contact your Senators and Congresspersons and ask for a Medicare Option. Maybe we should have a Medicare Option rally day across the country! Start chanting the drumbeat: “We want a Medicare Option”! We all know the GOP won’t give it to us, but by relentlessly insisting on it every day until a future election—everyone will be aware that the only way to get it is to vote Democratic.
A Medicare Option would allow for anyone to choose to be on Medicare with all its accompanying benefits (ask any senior over 65 about them). Forget about all this junk that is being proposed today which will make health insurance affordable mostly for the rich. A Medicare Option will help us migrate to Universal Coverage—in other words “Medicare for All”. Everyone will have available quality healthcare at substantially lower costs.
Lobby and/or contact your Senators and Congresspersons and ask for a Medicare Option. Maybe we should have a Medicare Option rally day across the country! Start chanting the drumbeat: “We want a Medicare Option”! We all know the GOP won’t give it to us, but by relentlessly insisting on it every day until a future election—everyone will be aware that the only way to get it is to vote Democratic.
Why is this important?
A Medicare Option would be Medicare in about nearly detail except for how it is paid for. Premiums would be collected which would fully cover its costs just as the insurance company’s premiums cover their costs. However, the Medicare Option premiums would be considerably less as would the deductibles and co-pays. That is because for one thing the insurance company profit and overhead would be eliminated. Secondly, the existing Medicare provider fee schedules are much less than the insurance companies are able to negotiate. Implementation should be relatively easy since the Medicare bureaucracy is already in place and functioning effectively with a high degree of user satisfaction. All existing Medicare rules and regulations would apply, except for the collection of premiums and penalties which still apply as part of ACA.
The existing network of Medicare doctors and hospitals would be utilized as the provider sources for the Medicare Option patients. The providers would bill Medicare for their services the same as they currently do for those 65 and over. Optionally, Medicaid could be eliminated as its current patients could also elect the Medicare Option, with the provision they pay no more than currently. Present funding for Medicaid would be transferred to Medicare. ACA’s current subsidies would stay in place to help patients with their premiums as would all other positive aspects of the ACA. Penalties for not participating would remain to encourage participation, whether it is with one of the insurance companies or the Medicare Option.
Over time “Medicare for All” would become a reality right before our eyes! Users of every other plan, including those of employers, will want to migrate to the Medicare Option because it will be the most affordable, comprehensive and accessible plan available. It’s a win-win in every aspect for the people of our nation.
The existing network of Medicare doctors and hospitals would be utilized as the provider sources for the Medicare Option patients. The providers would bill Medicare for their services the same as they currently do for those 65 and over. Optionally, Medicaid could be eliminated as its current patients could also elect the Medicare Option, with the provision they pay no more than currently. Present funding for Medicaid would be transferred to Medicare. ACA’s current subsidies would stay in place to help patients with their premiums as would all other positive aspects of the ACA. Penalties for not participating would remain to encourage participation, whether it is with one of the insurance companies or the Medicare Option.
Over time “Medicare for All” would become a reality right before our eyes! Users of every other plan, including those of employers, will want to migrate to the Medicare Option because it will be the most affordable, comprehensive and accessible plan available. It’s a win-win in every aspect for the people of our nation.