I have repeatedly wondered why the United States allows fraud and abuse in the health care system to flourish. Fraud is especially rampant in Medicare and Medicaid. Medicare is required to pay on a timely basis and often must chase down fraudulent transactions later. It’s called pay and chase. By contrast, a better system would flag suspicious transactions and stop payments or slow them until further investigation.
Category: Single-Payer/Medicare-for-All
Americans Need Better, More Affordable Health Coverage Options
If you step back and really think about it logically, health insurance is a colossal waste of money for most people. I’ve seen figures that claim that nearly 90% of Obamacare enrollees never reach their annual deductible in any given year. You spend about $7,000 per year, on average, to mitigate a risk that is statistically unlikely. Granted, insurance is supposed to be for things that are catastrophic but unlikely.
Thursday Links – 28 May 2026
- The corporate tax rate really matters.
- The corporate Laffer curve: Despite the sizable cut in tax rates, corporate tax payments to Treasury rose from a low of $189 billion in the 12 months ending Jan. ’19, to $516 billion in the 12 months ending August ’24–a whopping increase of 173%!
- Heart disease gone in one gene edit. (NYT)
- How the US bent the health care cost curve.
- Medicare for all would mean giving the same amount of money we now spend to the same insurance companies that receive it today.
Single Payer is an Issue in California Governor’s Race
What are the differences between Single Payer, Medicare for All and Universal Coverage? Universal coverage is merely a system where everyone is covered. Obamacare was supposed to be universal coverage because it initially included an individual mandate. Medicare is a type of universal coverage for seniors. Medicare for All would expand eligibility down from age 65 to 0. Medicare for All would require the federal government to expand the program, with states playing a supporting role. It would not necessarily be the same program that exists today, except in name.