Sachin H. Jain, President and CEO, Board Director of SCAN Health Plan, Adjunct Professor of Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine, shared on LinkedIn:
“Universal healthcare? Yes.
Medicare for All? I’m not so sure.
That may sound like an odd statement coming from the CEO of a Medicare Advantage organization.
But after spending my career at CMS, helping launch CMMI, practicing medicine, and leading a Medicare Advantage plan, I’ve come to an uncomfortable conclusion:
‘Neither traditional Medicare nor Medicare Advantage is ready to become America’s universal healthcare system.’
Traditional Medicare leaves too many people underinsured, excludes important benefits like dental and hearing, and continues to reward procedures far more generously than prevention and primary care.
Medicare Advantage has addressed some of those shortcomings – but it has also created new ones, including coding incentives, administrative burden, benefit complexity, and growing distrust.
Too often, our healthcare debate asks us to choose between these two models.
I think that’s the wrong question.
The real question is this:
‘If we were designing universal healthcare today from a blank sheet of paper, would we build either of these programs exactly as they exist?’
I don’t think we would.
Universal coverage is a goal worth pursuing.
But expanding a flawed system simply scales its flaws.
In my latest Forbes essay, I argue that it’s time to stop debating slogans and start debating design.
I’d love to hear where you agree – and where you think I’m wrong.”
You can also read: ‘Bipartisan Patients First Act Seeks Major Reform of Medicare Physician Payments‘
