During a particularly revelatory moment in the first Democratic primary debate last Thursday, Senator Elizabeth Warren revealed one of her most extreme views.
“Many people watching at home have health insurance coverage through their employers. Who here would abolish their private insurance in favor of a government run-plan? Just a show of hands.”
Of the candidates on stage, only Warren and Bill de Blasio raised their hands, indicating their support of taking away private health insurance from American citizens.
Those like Warren who put their faith in Medicare for All are suffering from some misguide opinions. They believe that in general, most people are happy with the program. In turn, they feel that there is no need to keep private health insurance. Why not just put everyone on Medicare for All, and join hands together and sing Kum Ba Yah? In reality, life just doesn’t work out as ideally as supporters of Medicare for All or Senator Warren imagine.
Practically, if Warren’s desire is fulfilled and every American is forced to take Medicare for All, this means some 150 to 180 million Americans who currently have private health insurance will be forced on a government plan. This type of one-size-fits-all insurance option will be similar to the chaos and disorganization that typically characterizes the Department of Motor Vehicles among other government services.
This is to say nothing of Medicare recipients who currently have private secondary insurance to help out with medical expenses. The alternative has already been tried and failed in the Obamacare fiasco. This government ran operation stripped many of access to their health care facilities and their doctors even though it went through private insurance companies.
“Insurance companies last year alone sucked $23 billion in profits out of the health care system, $23 billion. And that doesn’t count the money that was paid to executives, the money that was spent lobbying Washington,” Warren said. “We have a giant industry that wants our health care system to stay the way it is, because it’s not working for families, but it’s sure as heck working for them.”
When one considers that Medicare is currently about seven years away from losing billions of dollars annually, and the fact that private health insurance industry is presently operating with a $23 billion profit, one has to wonder why Warren would want to move more towards Medicare for All. Warren seems to think that private insurance companies shouldn’t make money. That is somehow a bad thing. Why, though? Most American families are happy on their private health insurance. Some 71% — or over 100 million Americans — are “satisfied with their current employer-provided health coverage.”
As mentioned above, the concept of Medicare for All has already been tried and failed miserably in various areas of government. For example, public schools, the IRS, DMV and veterans have all endured government ran, one-sized-fits-all lunacy. Just consider the hundreds of veterans who have died due to waiting times, rationing, and corruption within the organization.
Admittedly, though they are better than a government operated organization, private health insurance companies are far from perfect. Of course, the main issue with them is the cost. This is a problem better addressed by creating options, not limiting them as Warren wishes. For example, simply allowing insurance companies to sell nationwide would create competition between companies, lowering costs.
