Elizabeth Warren Promises Plan to Cover Every Doctor, Every Provider, Every Prescription Drug

[highplainsdem]

Mediaite article with video at the link:

https://www.mediaite.com/news/elizabeth-warren-promises-plan-to-cover-every-doctor-every-provider-every-prescription-drug/

At a town hall event in Concord, New Hampshire Wednesday, Warren took questions from more than one supporter with concerns about her “Medicare for All” plan, for which she released an ambitious funding plan two weeks ago.

The first question came from Carol Healey of the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, who asked a general question about the possibility of losing benefits and quality of care under M4A.

Warren delivered her standard riff on health care, but with a few extra promises. “When you think about the great plan you have right now, the plan you have right now that doesn’t let you go to the doctor you want to see,” Warren said, then declared “That’s gone, because every doctor is covered. The specialist you need to see? They are all covered. The drugs you need? They’re all covered. So whatever your health care is, you got it. You’re covered.”

But the Medicare for All plan that Warren says is her plan does not contain any provision to require every provider to participate, or even to increase participation over its current level. And Medicare doesn’t currently cover every prescription drug or medical service, and denies more claims than private insurers.

Another woman in the crowd would go on to ask a follow-up question that got Warren to tacitly admit those facts, but also to promise — on the spot — that she’d put out a plan to make her promises come true.

-snip-

“Where we’re aiming on Medicare for All, not all the transition’s been worked out yet, I’m going to have another plan on this, but where we are aiming on Medicare for All is every doctor is covered, every provider is covered, every health insurance company is covered, every prescription drug is covered.”

-snip-

Warren was also asked about the estimated 2 million jobs that would be lost with MFA, and she said that would also be taken care of in her transition plan and "no one would be left behind."


However, as the article notes:

When Warren released her funding plan two weeks ago, she promised a transition plan “in the coming weeks.” That plan will now need to include money to cover every doctor and health care provider and prescription drug — and a way to legally compel all those providers to accept Medicare — as well as money for the 2 million workers she’s promising not to leave behind.

[George II]

1. Should that not have been worked out before rolling out the plan?

[highplainsdem]

3. You'd think so.

[crazytown]

5. It's Bernie's plan

of course it isn't finished.

[highplainsdem]

6. This can't be blamed on Bernie. Warren's prided herself and run on always having "a plan for that,"

and she's created problems for herself here.

[crazytown]

7. 'I'm with Bernie'

So you would criticize him for not having the details finished as well? Or only Warren?

[crazytown]

13. I wrote an OP here "The curious case of the missing health plan"

https://www.democraticunderground.com/1287268625

There was no criticism of the lack of details. You wrote that Krugman didn't like her trade plan.

[evertonfc]

2. as a Biden supporter

I hope she keeps talking about this.

[crazytown]

4. Warren plan may Cover every doctor, provider, and drug

but cannot force them tp participate.

[Kurt V.]

8. the entire thing depends on doctors willing to take a pay cut from

500k to 400k . Should we let this hold us up? i say no.

[Hoyt]

10. Docs won't take a pay cut. They'll tell their nurses and staff that their pay will be cut to levels

common in Britain and Canada.

I too am not concerned about how docs will survive.

[Kurt V.]

16. They' ll have to . u.s. docs make 1.5% more than Canadian docs. 1.2% more than docs

in the u.k. so not a lot but enough to make this feasible

[Hoyt]

9. I keep expecting Warren to say something like, "Who knew healthcare was so complicated?"

For example -- One cannot effectively negotiate drug prices unless one is willing to day "No" to manufacturers who are not willing to price the drugs properly.

[Celerity]

15. a great start would be repealing the horrific part of the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003

that prohibits the federal government from negotiating pharma prices.

https://www.congress.gov/bill/108th-congress/house-bill/1

https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=108&session=1&vote=00459

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Not Voting - 2

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[Hoyt]

17. Actually, Part D insurers and private insurers do negotiate prices. But it's almost worthless

unless they, or traditional Medicare, is willing to say. "Fine, we will no longer cover your drugs, there are acceptable, affordable substitutes."

https://www.kff.org/medicare/issue-brief/whats-the-latest-on-medicare-drug-price-negotiations/


Agree that needs to change.

[Celerity]

18. +1

[bucolic_frolic]

11. If Warren is our standard bearer

and is derided as Socialism! (it'll be the new Benghazi! But her emails!), then Trump will be Socialism for Corporations. We really have to stop taking these things lying down.

[ritapria]

12. What is the transition time period envisioned in Warren's MFA proposal ?

Does anyone know ?

[maximusveritas]

14. Are we sure this wasn't another SNL sketch?

Who is she kidding with "So whatever your health care is, you got it."?
She's not going to be able to find any economist this time willing to sign off on the idea that we can remotely pay for that.

[Blue_true]

19. I believe that current insurance companies could be important in administering the MFA plan.

Many of their workers can be directed toward that end. Those companies can still offer policies for non medical cosmetic surgery and procedures that people don't need to stay alive or to fix damage from illnesses or accidents.

[Fiendish Thingy]

20. Can you smell the fear?

These rich folks really don't want Warren to be president.