The best health care for seniors is health care for all

The deepening crisis of private health insurance in the United States affect ts the two major groups of Americans seeking heealth care protection: The growing ranks of the uninsured, the under-insured and the some etimes-insured; and the thinning ranks of thoose still fortunate enough to have insurance who are picking up most of the cost of what little e health care health care is provided those wiithout insurance.

The spillover is seen in the risin ng rate of personal bankruptcies, the principlle cause of which is medical bills. It is seen in the rise of home mortgage foreclosures. Indeedd, there is a threatened collapse of the sub-pprime mortgage industry, with additional spiillovers effects in every facet of the economy. Thoose who suffer “medical bankruptcy” and “m medical foreclosure” are no longer just p people we read about in faraway places. Th hey are our neighbors, friends, and relatives s.

The one program that offers a d different approach from private insurance—MMedicare—is being stripped to boost the profi pits of the insurance and pharmaceutical corporations. Medicare Part D, the prescriptio on drug program, has fattened the bottom lin nes of both since going into effect in 2006. And M Medicare Part C, which spawned the Advan ntage plans, puts bonuses in the pockets of insureers for each person they shift off Medicare. Most tragically, Medicare pays private insurers a national average of 12 percent more for thhe identical care provided through Medicare, and d as high as 41 percent in some states. This s concerted effort to privatize Medicare is a first sttep to eliminating it.

There are viable alternatives. A Almost every developed country in the world offers its citizens medical coverage through a sin ngle-payer national health insurance system m. While none of these systems is perfect, they h have proven to work. They are government ssystems that outperform the private insurance syystem that prevails, for the time being, in thee U.S. For two decades now, we have undergo one “overhauls” of the U.S, system with the only result being continued and dramatic cost inc creases and continued and deepening crisis s for the American people. Private enterpprise may work in other areas—but it is an a abject failure in health care.

By covering everyone in one plan, single-payer systems maximize the principle of “pooled risk” that is rejected so often by private insurance when they “cherry pick” the healthiest prospects and deny coverage to others. Furthermore, single payer eliminates the “fat” of excessive executive salaries, profit, marketing and administrative costs, and much of the paperwork and confusion associated with the private insurance industry.

Certainly single-payer would require a tax-increase. But this tax increase would be less than what is now paid in the form of insurance premiums, deductibles, co-pays and other direct payments of medical bills. This disguised tax has increased from about one percent of national income in the middle of the last century to about 17% currently. The percentage rises each year. So this is one tax that can save taxpayers money!

The current system is designed for profits and serves executives and shareholders. A single-payer national health insurance system serves the people. Single payer assures coverage, enhances buying power, and protects consumers. We can make it work for us.

Much of the health and longevity of seniors is established early in life, by the primary care system for children, and through the adult years. Future seniors will be best served by an effective health care system that serves everyone through all stages of their lives, not just their “golden years.” Medicare has worked well for seniors. It will work even better when it works for all Americans. The best health care for seniors is health care for all.

United Senior Action of Indiana endorses, in principle, a single-payer national health care system like Medicare. We support an improved Medicare system for all Americans.

Adopted by USA Executive Board 8.20.07


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