Medicare For All Explained

The Economics of Health Care, Part 1: The Problem - Our Current Health Care System Is Unaffordable

Episode 8 explains why our current health care system is unaffordable.

My guest is Gerald Friedman, professor of economics at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Professor Friedman obtained his PhD in 1986 from Harvard University and has published numerous books, papers, and articles. He has been researching the economics of health care for 15 years.

My interview of Professor Friedman covers two episodes, 8 and 9. This episode explains why we cannot afford our current health care system. Part 2, available on April 1st, explains how a single-payer Medicare for All system would make health care affordable and available to everyone.

Do not miss this episode. It powerfully explains why our current health care is bankrupting individuals and the county.

 

Putting Out the Fire With Medicare For All

My episode 7 guest, Dr. George Bohmfalk, talks about the history of fire departments and the wild days when they were private. He explains why people decided that they needed public fire departments and why this history is relevant to the current debate surrounding health care.

Dr. Bohmfalk practiced neurosurgery in Texas. When he retired, he moved to North Carolina to be closer to his grandchildren. In 2017, he became involved with  Health Care Justice, North Carolina, the Charlotte chapter of Physicians for a National Health Program. He chairs Health Care Justice’s Education Committee/Speakers Bureau and has written several newspaper articles and editorials on Medicare for All. 

Do not miss episode 7 for some interesting history, insight into the healthcare debate, and why Medicare for All is needed. 

 

We Can Conquer This Problem

My guest on episode 6 is Richard Master, founder and CEO of MCS Industries. MCS is the leading supplier of picture frames and decorative mirrors in the United States.

Mr. Master started an investigation in 2013 to find out why MCS Industries faced double digit increases in health insurance premiums every year at renewal time. This investigation led him to start the Business Initiative for Health Policy (BIHP), an organization whose purpose is to advance the business and economic rationale for adopting a single-payer Medicare for All system in the United States.  Please note that BIHP has produced some highly informative videos that can be found here.

If you want to find out why business needs to support Medicare for All and how high health care costs suppress wages, this episode is a must.

Peace of Mind

My guest for episode 5 is Wendell Potter. Mr. Potter previously worked as a public relations executive for two of the country’s largest health insurers, Humana and Cigna. He left Cigna in 2008 due to a crisis of conscience.

Since leaving Cigna, Mr. Potter has become a leading advocate for health care reform and a critic of the health insurance industry. He has disclosed the falsehoods the insurance companies use to boost profits, to keep many people uninsured and under-insured, and how they implement lobbying and marketing campaigns to quash any reforms that might threaten profits.

Mr. Potter has written three books. His first book, Deadly Spin, detailed the propaganda and tactics used by health insurance companies to protect their profits. His other two books are  Obamacare, What’s in It for Me/What Everyone Needs to Know about the Affordable Care Act, and Nation on the Take, How Big Money Corrupts Democracy and What We Can Do About It.

“Peace of Mind” with Wendell Potter is an episode not to be missed.

 

Global Budgets: Saving Money and Increasing Simplicity

Dr. Phil Verhoef, my episode 4 guest, gives listeners a compelling explanation as to why global budgets are the best way to fund Medicare for All.

Dr. Verhoef’s commitment to making sure that patients get the care they need while saving money makes this is an episode worth hearing.

 

The Manual

My episode 3 guest is Dr. Nicte Mejia, a neurologist at Massachusetts General Hospital and an assistant professor at Harvard.

Dr. Mejia makes interesting and important points. Among them are that Medicare for All should include long-term care, and that even doctors can struggle with an insurance company when a family member has a problem.

Listening to her experiences as a dedicated and compassionate physician will make you wonder why the United States tolerates a health care system that makes it so hard for patients to get the care they need.

The Five Es

In episode 2, my guest Dr. Richard Bruno explores the dire consequences of the current health care system in the United States based on his experiences as a physician and a person. 

Dr. Bruno makes it clear that people suffer under the current health care system in the U.S. and how Medicare for All would end that suffering. His passion and clarity make this an episode that should not be missed.  

 

 

Medicare For All, An Overview

Episode 1 gives an overview of Medicare for All. My guest, Dr. Ed Weisbart explains what Medicare for All is, and how it will benefit people, physicians, businesses, and the nation. Dr. Weisbart’s clear explanation make Medicare for All easy to understand.