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The Mark-Levine One-Sentence Solution for Health-Care Reform

September 23, 2009

Many on the Right and even some on the Left have complained that Democratic bills for health-care reform, from Hillary Clinton’s to Barack Obama’s to those in the various Congressional Committees, are too complicated. Even John Stewart mocked the 1000-page bill.

Well, I, Mark Levine, can fix America’s health-care problems in one sentence.

And no, I’m not joking.

So now, without further ado, I present a one-sentence bill to resolve the health-care problem.

H.R. LEVINE
“Medicare for All”
Section 1: The current Medicare system shall be available to all Americans regardless of age.

That’s it!  The entire bill.  Ta-dum….

Here’s the beauty of it.

1.  Medicare is a known commodity, not some new-fangled thing the Republicans can create scare-tactics about (like “the public option” or “single-payer”).  And folks like it.  An astounding 94% of Americans on Medicare are satisfied with it.  (Poll: Suffolk University)

2.  Medicare is cheap.  My parents are both on Medicare and they pay 1/3 to 1/2 of what I do.  And I’m healthy (and relatively young).  So Medicare would help me if I could join it.

3.  Adding all of us under 65 would FIX Medicare’s financial problems.  Medicare currently takes care of the oldest and sickest among us and has a shortfall of funds.  But that’s because it charges so much less than private insurance and takes care of the most difficult health problems.  If young people joined Medicare and paid premiums, that would financially benefit Medicare because Medicare would take in more money and pay out less in health care bills (because young people, on average, are healthier than the elderly).  So I would help Medicare if I could join it.

Win-Win

When younger Americans join Medicare, they get a sharp discount in their insurance.

When younger Americans join Medicare, Medicare makes a sharp profit.

Sure it’s functionally the same thing as single-payer.  (Shhhhhhh….that’s our little secret.)  But Medicare for All helps everyone, from the elderly (who benefit from a financially-stronger Medicare that can pay for their needs) to Americans under 65 (who get cheaper insurance) to doctors, medical professionals, hospitals, and even drug companies (who get more patients, including those who are currently uninsured and underinsured because they can’t afford health care) to the insurance companies (who….ooops…guess it doesn’t benefit the insurance companies who would lose a lot of their profits.)

Oh well, 6 out of 7 ain’t bad.  Sorry insurance companies.

What do you think?

Any comments on the Mark-Levine One-Sentence Bill to Reform Health Care?

Build me a movement and I’ll run for Congress.  🙂

Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.

  • Roibt September 30, 2009 2:08 am

    I like your bill personally. BUT…….,

    What of the opposition?

    -You would allow Health care for illegals?

    -Do professional boxers get covered.

    -Medicare for all? Osama Bin Laden too?

    -Doesn’t Medicare have death panels?

    -The Gov’t couldn’t handle the Katrina disaster. How can we trust them On health care?

    -But its Socialized-Marist-Facsism that actually takes our freedom to not be able to afford a health care policy. Its our God givin right to be recinded by the Health Insurance Companies when you need it the most.

    -Would their be a need for charity dependence? Who would be able to go an beg a charity for a surgury? What would the churches do? We all know there are many charitable programs that people can abuse if they really wanted. Their just too lazy.

    -Think of the breaking wieght all those people entering the health system and how it will strain the medical providers so much so that,
    those wealthy foreigners that come to America and go to the front of the line and recieve the best health care in the world. Where will these wealthy foriegners go to get their health care ????

  • Linda Knapp September 25, 2009 3:29 pm

    Brilliant, simply brilliant!!!