Readers offer differing opinions. One notes that “people seem perfectly happy to ditch private insurance and to jump into Medicare when they hit 65.”
To the Editor:
I don’t understand the current terms of the debate on Medicare for All versus private insurance. I am on Medicare, and I also subscribe to a private plan that supplements Medicare (eliminating all co-payments, for instance). The two so far have worked together seamlessly. I don’t think Medicare for All need put private health insurance out of business; on the contrary, there would be plenty of room for supplementary policies of many sorts.
So public debate ought not to claim that the two are mutually exclusive. We need Medicare for All, and many will continue to need private insurance policies as well.
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Peter Brooks
New Haven
To the Editor:
One of the arguments raised against implementing Medicare for All is that millions of people prefer their private health insurance. Really? Because an awful lot of people seem perfectly happy to ditch private insurance and to jump into Medicare when they hit 65.
David Kornhaber
Santa Monica, Calif.
To the Editor:
It’s clear that at present Medicare for All is a loser. Here’s a clear winner: Medicare for Kids. Free checkups at school, fewer workdays lost, emergency rooms just for emergencies, vaccines for all. A winner for Democrats, for kids and for the country.
Michael Sobel
Brooklyn
To the Editor:
The senators who tout Medicare for All could prove their commitment by sponsoring legislation to expand coverage for existing Medicare beneficiaries. Prove a willingness to cover all costs by eliminating the current Medicare deductible and covering 100 percent rather than the current 80 percent of allowed charges. Show the ability to take on the big corporations by dismantling privately run for-profit Medicare Advantage plans.
Once they have proved this can be done for current Medicare enrollees, then it may be a plausible health care solution for all.
Richard A. Bazarian
Portland, Me.
Date: July 10, 2019
Source: The New York Times
