Universal Health Care-Medicare-for-All

This presentation discusses the current legislative issue of Universal Health Care-Medicare-for-All in the US, proposed by Sen. Bernie Sanders. It aims to enroll all Americans on a public insurance system and correct the imbalance in the uninsured Americans which stands at 12%. The presentation also highlights the most affected persons, socio-economic, political, cultural and ethical issues, and stakeholders involved in the issue.

Universal Health Care-Medicare-
for-All
Name
Institution

Introduction
Universal health care is a current issue
raising serious concerns in the US (Welch,
2016)
Reason:
 US has one of the highest inequalities in
access to quality healthcare
Manifestation in different demographic
dimensions like;
- race, ethnicity, geographical location,
disability status, gender and sexual orientation

Current Legislative Issue
Bill: Medicare-for-All in September (2017)
Proposed by Sen. Bernie Sanders
Aim:
 It seeks to enroll all Americans on a public
insurance system
 correct the imbalance in the uninsured
Americans which stands at 12%

The Most Affected Persons
Most affected group include;
 High income earning citizens: high tax
 Doctors
 Healthcare Providers (Seidman, 2013)
The legislation proposes that the publicly
financed but privately delivered healthcare
shall be funded by taxing every working
citizen

Socio-economic Issues
These include;
 Healthcare disparities: manifest between
population groups in their abilities to access
quality health services and medical insurance
(Welch, 2016)
Results: increased burden of disease for the
disadvantaged population (Tillow 2012).

Political Issues
The political issues here include;
 Upcoming mid-term election
 The bill is a political compromise between
Democrats and Republicans
 It was proposed by an independent senator

Cultural and Ethical Issues
These include;
 Entitlement to public money
 Health is an individual responsibility
 Patients often take free health services for
granted

Stakeholders
They include;
 The citizens- tax payers
 The government; involvement comes with
the elimination of administrative costs from
which the healthcare providers have for a
long time been making money

Conclusion
The Medicare-for-all is a bill drafted in
pursuit of universal healthcare
It is still a subject to debate since 2017
it has potential to remedy the disparities in
healthcare provision by taxing the rich more
to pay for the medical expenses of the poor.

References
Seidman, L. (2013). The Affordable Care Act
versus Medicare for All. Journal of Health
Politics, Policy & Law, 40(4), 911–921. https://
doi.org/10.1215/03616878-3150160
Tillow, K. (2012). The solution: improved
Medicare for All. Massachusetts Nurse
Advocate, 83(4), 2. Retrieved from
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=t
rue&db=aph&AN=83055372&site=ehost-live
Welch, M. (2016). Bernie’s Bad Ideas. Reason,
47(12), 32–40. Retrieved from
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=t
rue&db=aph&AN=113930371&site=ehost-live