California just took a significant step toward single payer health care. On Oct 7, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 770 (Unified Health Care Financing) into law. Introduced by Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), the law directs the Secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency to research, develop and pursue a waiver framework… Read More »
In this series on options for universal coverage, we explore elements of various reform proposals and evaluate their potential impact. Rather than examining complete proposals, we highlight specific policy elements that appear in one or more such proposals. The three we focus on in this series are: Eliminating Medicare Advantage (May 14, 2020) Expanding Medicare… Read More »
In this series on options for universal coverage, we explore elements of various reform proposals and evaluate their potential impact. Rather than examining complete proposals, we highlight specific policy elements that appear in one or more such proposals. The three we focus on in this series are: Part 1 – Eliminating Medicare Advantage (May 14,… Read More »
With the 2020 US presidential election drawing near, debate about the options for universal coverage will ramp up. At the heart of this debate is the estimated 45% of US adults who are either uninsured or under-insured. They are at risk of experiencing financial hardship or going without needed care in a time when access to… Read More »
Health care is on everyone’s mind. Here’s what presidential candidates say about healthcare: the 2020 edition. We are two weeks into the 2020 presidential primary season. On the Democratic side, muddled results in Iowa and very close results in New Hampshire have sprung some surprises. Currently at the top of the Democratic field are Pete… Read More »
In a recent Health Affairs blog post, Universal Health Coverage? Why?, Walter McClure, Alain Enthoven, and Tim McDonald make a convincing case for expanding health insurance coverage in the United States. They argue that universal coverage is a “wise public investment” that “expands the workforce and makes it more productive,” similar to universal public education.… Read More »
Nearly halfway through the primaries, the Democratic primary contest between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders continues. And perhaps nothing sets these candidates further apart in the progressiveness of their agenda than their approaches to health care. In this post, let’s take a look at the vastly different approaches to health care proposed by candidates Clinton and Sanders, with a particular focus on primary care.