Blog#112- 6/13/22
THE WORLD AS IT IS VS. THE WORLD AS WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE IT
By Richard Davis
I have been writing weekly commentaries for 28 years and I am beginning to realize that the time has come to think outside of the box. All those words may have had some impact on the world. People have learned a few things, but I remain impatient for the kind of change I would like to see.
So I have decided to try something new. I will write what might be called wishful thinking news stories, not fake news. These will be stories written in a news format that describe how the world might be if we made some of the changes that many Americans would like to see.
CDC RELEASES MEDICARE FOR ALL STUDY
January 2, 2050- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the results of a 20 year study today detailing outcomes that have resulted from 20 years of a Medicare for All health care system in the United States. Life expectancy has increased by five years and all indicators of health have shown improvement, especially in the areas of maternal health and mortality and chronic disease morbidity and mortality. The study also noted that the new system kept health cost increases to two percent a year.
The U.S. congress passed Medicare for All legislation in 2030 shortly after the retirement of long-time single payer advocate Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont.
The electorate had mobilized enough to vote in candidates who would support the move to Medicare for All after a post-COVID pandemic of the so-called pan-species virus decimated the lives of two million Americans within months in 2028.
It became clear that the fragmented U.S. health care system could no longer mobilize health care services to protect a majority of Americans. Other countries with government-run health care systems, or more unified universal access systems, were more prepared for the new virus and were able to minimize deaths.
The CDC study described how Americans were able to improve the way they deal with chronic diseases such as diabetes, COPD, hypertension as well as a many mental health problems because of access to preventive health services on a regular basis.
The new system also mandated that all health care providers use the same computer system and health record, much as it has been in France and many other countries for decades. It was difficult for politicians to fight against the health care software industry, but the needs of the American people were able to prevail over the intense lobbying of the industry.
The Medicare for All system required pharmaceutical manufacturers to negotiate all prescription drug prices with the government. A new division of Health Care Price Control was created to set up a system of drug pricing as well as setting prices for medical equipment and devices. Health care statisticians estimated that by lowering drug prices the average American life expectancy increased by five years while hospital utilization decreased 15%.
The CDC study also noted that despite the decrease in drug prices, pharmaceutical manufacturers were still able to realize profits of 7% a year, about half of pre-Medicare for All years. Drug manufacturers were able to adjust to the new health care landscape and no companies went out of business.
The price of a monthly supply of insulin has stayed steady at about 30 dollars and the average Americans now spends 60% less out of pocket for medication than during pre-Medicare for All days.
The CDC study described in detail how the landscape of U.S. health care changed when primary care providers were given the highest level of reimbursement for their services. As the number of primary care providers increased, it became clear that hospitals should no longer be the focus of health care and primary care clinics proliferated.
The financing of health care has shifted so much over the past 20 years that the portion of health care of the U.S. GDP has dropped from nearly 20% to 5%. Many experts predicted the new system would be too costly, but the CDC report makes it clear that Medicare for All is savings Americans a lot of money while keeping them healthier.
