Health care industry group launches attack on Medicare for All
The group argues that such a system would take a toll on patients by cutting choice and injecting disruption into the current health care system.
Digital ads claiming a move to Medicare for All will reduce choice for Americans will soon be making the rounds on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, at the behest of the Partnership for America’s Health Care Future.
According to The Hill, the group is made up of major health industry presences who could lose out under a Medicare for All system, including America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA). Group members came together last year as a body to take on Medicare for all, arguing that such a system would take a toll on patients by cutting choice and injecting disruption into the system.
The rise of Medicare for All under the new crop of elected Congressional officials makes the likelihood of eventual adoption of such a system greater, although there’s no chance of it passing the current Republican-controlled Senate. However, newly elected Democrats are likely to hold hearings on the matter, now that they’re in control of the House, which will likely stimulate further debate and perhaps even garner more support for the idea.
Related: Poll shows growing support for Medicare for All
Already it’s not just isolated members of Congress espousing such a system, but numerous 2020 Democratic presidential candidates who are coming out in support of a single-payer system.
In an effort to save the existing system, the health care industry isn’t holding back. The two-and-a-half minute video (below) is part of a five-figure ad buy over the next three weeks, the Hill says, and is just a portion of a larger six-figure effort that will continue through the year.
“Medicare for all will mean more politics in health care and will eliminate choice for all Americans,” the ad claims, and the group instead advocates for a way to “improve what’s working and fix what’s broken” in the current system.
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