Starbucks spends more on health insurance than coffee beans in 2010. ($300 million) That is almost 3% of total revenue. The impact of that spending on profits was even greater at nearly 5%. Ninety-eight percent of businesses in the United States have
It seems to me that eventually the profit motive will need to be decoupled from health care. Although it would destroy the for-profit healthcare insurance industry, a single payer Medicare for all approach would have a salutary effect across the economy.
I’m curious about your take on Medicare for all, even if not implemented as single payer.
Your observations are important and your questions are critical. They cut to the heart of the matter. All other developed countries cover everyone. Germany has a hybrid system. You can get private insurance, but there is a public system for universal coverage. Citizens in these countries live longer for half the money. Everyone needs water. Everyone gets water. Everyone needs healthcare, but not everyone gets it and perverse financial incentives have distorted care for those who do have insurance so that it costs twice as much for inferior results. We could have better health soon, but community leaders must insist on it. The feds are too conflicted to save us. The best example is the SouthCentral Foundation in Alaska. That system is run by Native Alaskans for Native Alaskans. It provides care for half the cost compared with the care for other Alaskans. Are you in South Carolina?
Yes, I’m in SC. We live over here in Johnston. Interesting to hear about the Alaskan system, for natives, by natives. There are multiple working models from other countries for universal healthcare, but the for-profit insurance companies have a financial lock on enough legislators to prevent reform.
I know seeing the inequality visible in our SC schools --in particular seeing kids without health insurance --turned me from someone who voted for W in 2000, to someone who campaigned for Bernie Sanders in 2016.
I don’t know what it’s going to take. We’ve had 2 opportunities to fix or improve the system -- the 2008 meltdown that briefly gave Obama a supermajority -- and CoVID. If Obama had included a public option in the ACA ... what could have been. And of course, CoVID horribly mismanaged by the Republicans ... a missed opportunity.
Thank you for your newsletter & the issues you draw attention to.
Thank you for this fascinating & disturbing post.
It seems to me that eventually the profit motive will need to be decoupled from health care. Although it would destroy the for-profit healthcare insurance industry, a single payer Medicare for all approach would have a salutary effect across the economy.
I’m curious about your take on Medicare for all, even if not implemented as single payer.
Your observations are important and your questions are critical. They cut to the heart of the matter. All other developed countries cover everyone. Germany has a hybrid system. You can get private insurance, but there is a public system for universal coverage. Citizens in these countries live longer for half the money. Everyone needs water. Everyone gets water. Everyone needs healthcare, but not everyone gets it and perverse financial incentives have distorted care for those who do have insurance so that it costs twice as much for inferior results. We could have better health soon, but community leaders must insist on it. The feds are too conflicted to save us. The best example is the SouthCentral Foundation in Alaska. That system is run by Native Alaskans for Native Alaskans. It provides care for half the cost compared with the care for other Alaskans. Are you in South Carolina?
Yes, I’m in SC. We live over here in Johnston. Interesting to hear about the Alaskan system, for natives, by natives. There are multiple working models from other countries for universal healthcare, but the for-profit insurance companies have a financial lock on enough legislators to prevent reform.
I know seeing the inequality visible in our SC schools --in particular seeing kids without health insurance --turned me from someone who voted for W in 2000, to someone who campaigned for Bernie Sanders in 2016.
I don’t know what it’s going to take. We’ve had 2 opportunities to fix or improve the system -- the 2008 meltdown that briefly gave Obama a supermajority -- and CoVID. If Obama had included a public option in the ACA ... what could have been. And of course, CoVID horribly mismanaged by the Republicans ... a missed opportunity.
Thank you for your newsletter & the issues you draw attention to.