The Atlantic

John Delaney Had One Good Point on Medicare for All

Moving the whole country to public insurance could result in two tiers of health care. In fact, it did in Brazil.
Source: Brendan Smialowski / Getty

In the middle of a vigorous argument over Medicare for All during the Democratic debate tonight, former Representative John Delaney pointed out the reason he doesn’t support moving all Americans onto Medicare: It generally pays doctors and hospitals less than private-insurance companies do.

Because of that, some have predicted that if private insurance ends, and Medicare that while some hospitals would do worse under Medicare for All, some would do better. But Delaney insisted tonight that all the hospital administrators he’s spoken with have said they would close if they were paid at the Medicare rate for every bill.

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