A universal single-payer, not-for-profit healthcare system could help lift tens of mi

Let’s expand Medicare to cover all Americans

…For every dollar spent on direct care, nearly three other dollars are spent in ancillary ways, in other goods and services: from prescription drugs to medical equipment, to cleaning supplies purchased by health care providers such as hospitals and clinics, to consumer spending by employees whose jobs are created by health care.

Then imagine we have a system in which the 46 million Americans presently uninsured are now covered by full Medicare, which by itself could be funded by an additional $44 billion. Add in full Medicare for seniors who have limited Medicare programs, those on Medicaid, and those who have private insurance but don’t use it because of the high out-of-pocket costs or who are denied needed care because their private insurer doesn’t want to pay for it.

That’s the real key to economic growth through health care, people using medically needed care when they need it. Providing care jump-starts the economy massively.

It has other rather important benefits. A healthier population….

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090208/OPINION04/902079925/-1/YOUTH

Actually it really isn't poorly managed. It reflects that the state was trying to assure access to dental care for low income patients through regulation. Basically the State was saying if you care for our employee dental group you must also care for medicaid patients. .

Yeah, it worked like a charm, didn't it?

Since so few dentists are willing to participate, this clearly is not the case. The answer to a poorly-run, poorly-paying program is to improve it, not to tie participation to other plans, thus punishing their participants.

Slow payments and payments that do not cover the costs of service are common complaints among the providers willing to accept Medicare and Medicaid. I guess that's no surprise when their method of containing costs is simply to cut and delay reimbursement. Without self-paying and privately insured patients who make up these reimbursement deficits, there would be no dental care for the needy of MN.

The real issue is the 60 million (and rapidly growing) Un and underinsured Americans.

Medicare was created to cover 80% of needed care. At the time most retired people could afford the 20%.

With HR 676 Medicare would pay for 100% at the time of service.
The kind providers who accept Medicare only patients will get a 20% increase for those patients.

Healthy young working people would be paying their share.

I do think a way of dealing those who miss appointets is a good idea.

http://www.guaranteedhealthcare.org/facts