Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Study Lays Out Paths Toward Universal Coverage That Don't Hinge On A Revamp To A Single-Payer System
Health care memo to Democrats: there's more than one way to get to coverage for all. A study out Wednesday finds that an approach similar to the plan from former Vice President Joe Bide n can deliver about the same level of coverage as the government-run "Medicare for All" plan from presidential rival Bernie Sanders. The study from the Commonwealth Fund and the Urban Institute think tanks concludes that the U.S. can achieve a goal that has eluded Democrats since Harry Truman by building on former President Barack Obama's health care law. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 10/16)
David Blumenthal, M.D., president of the Commonwealth Fund, said on a call with reporters that it鈥檚 crucial for both policymakers and the public to understand the directions health reform could take in the coming years.聽鈥淲e believe it is important to evaluate the impact of all proposals from those that build on the Affordable Care Act to wholesale health system overhauls,鈥 Blumenthal said.聽 (Minemyer, 10/16)
A new study finds that a full-scale single-payer health insurance program, also called "Medicare for All," would cost about $32 trillion over 10 years.聽The聽study from the聽Urban Institute聽and the Commonwealth Fund found $32.01 trillion in new federal revenue would be needed to pay for the plan, highlighting the immense cost of a proposal at the center of the health care debate聽raging聽in the presidential race. (Sullivan, 10/16)
