On Wednesday, July 31, Congressman John Conyers and three other
legislators celebrated Medicare’s 48th Birthday on Capitol Hill by hosting
a briefing by Professor Gerald Friedman who released his study of the
funding of HR 676, the Expanded and Improved Medicare for All Act, showing
that single payer health care is feasible and would save 592 billion in
one year.
Following the briefing, Congressman Conyers was joined by Representatives
Mark Takano and Keith Ellison and Senator Bernie Sanders in a press
conference to call for enactment of single payer health care. The events
were cosponsored by Physicians for a National Health Program, Public
Citizen, and a number of other organizations.
Professor Friedman’s study was covered by The Hill and Becker’s Hospital
Review. The Huffington Post ran an opinion piece by Conyers and Robert
Weissman, President of Public Citizen. Conyers’ Op Ed appeared in The
Hill and his Medicare Birthday Statement was presented in the House.
University of Massachusetts Professor Gerald Friedman’s full study is
available here:
http://www.pnhp.org/sites/default/files/Funding%20HR%20676_Friedman_final_7.31.13.pdf
Excerpts and links to the articles are here:
1. Study: Single-payer healthcare system would save billions
By Lara Seligman
The Hill, Healthwatch blog, July 31, 2013
Expanding the nation’s Medicare program to cover people of all ages would
save the government billions of dollars, according to a new study released
Wednesday.
The study found that a single-payer health care system based on the
principles of legislation by Rep. John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.), the
Expanded and Improved Medicare for All Act, would save the federal
government about $592 billion in one year.
That’s more than enough to pay for comprehensive benefits for all
Americans at a lower cost to the public, according to Physicians for a
National Health Program, which circulated the study. The extra money would
go to paying down the national debt.
Full story:
http://www.pnhp.org/news/2013/august/study-single-payer-healthcare-system-would-save-billions
2. Happy 48th birthday, Medicare
By Rep. John Conyers Jr.
The Hill, July 29, 2013
I believe Medicare For All is the answer, which is why I have introduced
and advocated for since 2003 a publicly funded, privately distributed
insurance program, H.R. 676. Even with the expansion of access that ACA
will provide, there will still be those who fall through the gaps or who
struggle to pay for the costs of medical care. This would not be the case
under a single-payer program like H.R. 676.
More:
http://www.pnhp.org/news/2013/july/happy-48th-birthday-medicare
3. Fulfilling the Promise of Medicare
By Rep. John Conyers and Robert Weissman
The Huffington Post, July 30, 2013
Nearly five decades after its enactment, here’s what we know: Medicare
saves money by eliminating all the waste associated with the for-profit
insurance industry. And Medicare provides coverage to everyone eligible.
In stark contrast, the for-profit insurers condition care on ability to
pay … and then still try to deny care to those who have paid.
That’s five decades of evidence that indicates the solution to our
nation’s healthcare crisis isn’t cutting Medicare. It’s strengthening
Medicare and expanding it to cover everyone.
However the Affordable Care Act ultimately plays out, we know two things
for certain: Millions of Americans will remain uncovered and the
for-profit insurance industry will remain in charge of prices and
life-and-death treatment decisions. As President Obama once stated, the
only way to ensure everyone is covered is with Medicare-for-All, a
single-payer system.
More:
http://www.pnhp.org/news/2013/july/fulfilling-the-promise-of-medicare
4. Study: Single-Payer Health System Feasible, Could Save $1.8 Trillion
in 10 Years
By Bob Herman
Becker’s Hospital Review, July 31, 2013
A new study shows that expanding Medicare to every American citizen would
not only achieve universal coverage and trillions in savings, but it’s
also feasible to implement based on legislation that has already been
proposed.
Gerald Friedman, PhD, a professor of economics at the University of
Massachusetts at Amherst, released his study today in Washington, D.C., at
a congressional briefing. The basis of Dr. Friedman’s research is HR 676 —
the Expanded and Improved Medicare for All Act — which is a bill
introduced by Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) in February that would
establish a single-payer health care program. The bill has been proposed
for 11 straight years.
In his study, Dr. Friedman said if Rep. Conyers’ bill were signed into
law, the expansion of Medicare could “paradoxically” save the U.S. health
care system $592 billion in 2014 alone. The main savings would come from
slashing “administrative waste” in the private health insurance industry
and using the government’s bargaining power to obtain cheaper
pharmaceuticals, according to the report. Over the next decade, the study
suggested savings could reach $1.8 trillion.
Distributed by:
All Unions Committee for Single Payer Health Care–HR 676
c/o Nurses Professional Organization (NPO)
1169 Eastern Parkway, Suite 2218
Louisville, KY 40217
(502) 636 1551
Email: nursenpo@aol.com
http://unionsforsinglepayer.org
8/5/13
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