Heterodox
Klepper wrote that this way of doing business has been "spectacularly successful" for the health insurance industry. As he noted, between May 2009 and May 2017, the stock prices of the five largest investor-owned health insurers -- Aetna, Anthem, Cigna, Humana and United -- increased between 387 percent and 748 percent, much more than the Dow Jones average. The CEOs of those companies have become spectacularly wealthy as shareholder value has skyrocketed. They undoubtedly have to be...
Read More »Dennis J Bernstein — The Push for a Medicare-for-All Plan
Sen. Bernie Sanders has unveiled a new single-payer healthcare plan which would provide all Americans with government-sponsored health coverage. Sanders’s plan, supported by some 16 Democrats in the Senate, calls for an overhaul of the healthcare system with what would essentially be a tweaked and revitalized version of Medicare-for-all. “Today we say that a function of a rational healthcare system is to provide quality care to all in a cost-effective way,” declared Sanders, an independent...
Read More »Zero Hedge — Even Bernie Sanders Thinks “Medicare For All” Would Bankrupt America
This is an illustration of the political cost of Bernie not understanding and embracing MMT. He should have paid closer attention to MMT economist Stephanie Kelton when she was his economic adviser. 1. A currency sovereign cannot "go bankrupt." A currency issuer can always issue currency to cover its obligations in the currency of issue. In this case, default is a political choice rather than a financial necessity. 2. The only actual constraint on a currency soveriegn is the...
Read More »Ryan Grim — The Obamacare Fight Is Over — Now It’s On To Universal Medicare
The train is pulling out of the station. The InterceptThe Obamacare Fight Is Over — Now It’s On To Universal Medicare Ryan GrimAlsoBernie’s Army: 24 Organizations With Millions of Members Vow To Help Pass His Universal Medicare Plan Zaid Jilani Pharma CEO Worries Americans Will Say “Enough is Enough” and Embrace Bernie Sanders’ Single-Payer PlanLee Fang
Read More »Democrats Follow Bernie Sanders’ Lead on Single-Payer — Aaron Mate interviews Adam Gaffney
Well, what Clinton said will never, ever happen is now looking more and more possible. A number of prominent Democrats are lining up behind it, Sanders' bill for single-payer. Last week, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris jumped on board. Now, Senators Cory Booker of New Jersey, Jeff Merkley of Oregon, and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York are signing on as well. Bernie Sanders is set to unveil his Medicare for All Bill on Wednesday. Adam Gaffney is an Instructor in Medicine at...
Read More »