What is the national health care debate really about? Splinter breaks it down.
Splinter has published a great piece, “The Only Guide to ‘Medicare for All’ That You Will Ever Need,” that explains the health care debate currently playing out in the Democratic Party between calls for “Medicare for All” and proposals for a “public option.” Author Timothy Faust explains:
“I couldn’t fault anyone for getting confused when candidates talk about “Medicare for All,” or “Medicare Extra for All,” or “Medicare for America,” or the “public option.” The relatively simple problems of health finance have been made very complicated by people who make money off of healthcare. So what are all of the issues being discussed and what do they mean? What’s really “Medicare for All” and what’s not? How do existing bills stack up? And why does this matter?”
Faust contextualizes the policy debate both in terms of the economics of health insurance and an explanation of how politics are shaped not just by voters and politicians, but by popular movements, corporate interest groups, ideological assumptions, and other forces. We highly recommend reading the full article at Splinter.