Democratic Primaries
In reply to the discussion: This is one of only a handful of reasons why I support Biden over Warren [View all]thesquanderer
(11,955 posts)The idea behind her plan is that total spending on health care remains the same. What changes is how you allocate how much of it is paid for by whom.
Those trillions are going to be spent no matter what. The question is primarily one of whether the government will collect and disburse those funds vs. having most of them collected and disbursed by private insurance companies. The advantages of having the government do it include:
* the primary purpose/motivation being one of paying for health care, as opposed to the primary purpose/motivation being to be profitable for shareholders
* better ability to redirect the source of the funds so that more of it is paid for by those who can best afford it
* eliminating people's concerns about having to switch doctors and/or suddenly come up with additional money for premiums if they switch (or lose) their employment
* the ability to cover everyone vs. leaving some people out
* the ability to provide more complete coverage, where people don't have to worry about still being responsible for significant deductibles/copays or costs of uncovered (but still necessary) procedures like dental
Those last two are the things that can increase costs, which is why the "how to pay for it plan" also includes "how to reduce costs" -- and the fact that they're taking away the for-profit insurance layer is one of the factors there.
But $20 trillion is not "new spending" on health care -- it's CURRENT spending on health care, it's just a change to who is paying for it and how the money-in and money-out is being distributed.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden