Sen. Bernie Sanders endorsed fellow Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, creating a united front behind a healthcare plan that does not likely include Sen. Sander's "Medicare for All" health plan, according to Kaiser Health News.
Here are seven things to know:
1. Hillary Clinton recently unveiled a healthcare plan to expand community healthcare center investments, an area that Sen. Bernie Sanders has prioritized throughout his political career. She also supported a "public option" insurance plan, which is a single federal insurnace plan that operates in the marketplace against private insurance companies.
2. However, Ms. Clinton did not delve into details as to whether her healthcare plan would feature Medicare for All, the backbone behind Sen. Sander's healthcare plan.
3. Officials say it is unlikely Ms. Clinton will support Medicare for All as the plan would be "massively disruptive," Paul Starr, a former health policy adviser to Ms. Clinton explained.
4. Sen. Sanders' Medicare for All plan was projected to increase federal medical spending by $32 trillion, including $2.9 trillion in long-term care costs.
https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/hospital-management-administration/sanders-programs-to-add-18t-to-debt-largely-due-to-healthcare-plan-4-things-to-know.html
5. While some argue a single-payer system would simplify the existing convoluted healthcare system, others say those in favor of such a plan have not worked out the details. For instance, Harold Pollack, PhD, a professor at the University of Chicago, said the plan will not be beneficial for all Americans and would be detrimental for private payers. Dr. Pollack said, "Precisely the thing that is a feature for single-payer proponents is a bug for everyone who provides goods and services for the medical economy.
6. Medicare for All may also disproportionately impact rural hospitals that depend on private payers since Medicare reimburses them so little.
7. Dr. Pollack also noted those who are well off would fund most of the single-payer system, claiming "The major value of a single-payer system would be to help the bottom third of the income distribution, and that means the top 20 percent of the population will have to pay more. I'm actually in favor of that, but let's not kid ourselves. That's a knife fight that's going to be had."
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