The Best Way to Save Medicare, Offer It to Everyone by John Conyers

[Better Believe It]

Best Way to Save Medicare, Offer it to Everyone
by John Conyers
May 20, 2011

According to Forbes magazine, hospital charges represent about one third of total healthcare spending — $718 billion altogether. Twenty four hospitals in this country with over 200 beds make an operating margin of 25 percent or more — a profit margin that compares favorably to drug giants like Pfizer, and easily beats the operating profit margin that General Electric reported in 2009.

We can no longer continue to have America’s hospitals make these kinds of large profit margins, when the health of our senior citizens and the fiscal health of our nation are at stake. It will take much needed political courage to address the root causes of rising Medicare costs — a Wall Street-dominated healthcare system.

America must transition to a non-profit improved Medicare-For-All program, if we are to have any chance of realistically containing over-all healthcare costs. That’ s why I have reintroduced H.R. 676, the Expanded and Improved Medicare For All Act, that would provide for a single-payer healthcare system, providing all Americans with healthcare coverage.

America can learn invaluable lessons from other nations on how to control healthcare costs, and the time has come to be open minded about their success and honest about our need to change course from our corporate-dominated and inefficient healthcare system.

Read the full article at:

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2011/05/20-7

[Wounded Bear]

1. K&R

:kick:

[xchrom]

2. recommend

[nashville_brook]

3. HCR was a start...now we have to really do something significant w/the access/cost problems

[slipslidingaway]

4. knr nt