On April 30, 2019, the House Rules Committee held a hearing on H.R. 1384, the Medicare for All Act of 2019. PNHP applauds the inclusion of single-payer supporters Dr. Farzon Nahvi and Ady Barkan as part of the hearing, and offers the following, additional perspectives from our physician members.
Dr. Claudia Fegan, PNHP national coordinator, points to the unconscionable sacrifices we demand from our most vulnerable patients.
Dr. Anna Stratis, a Canadian-trained family physician, contrasts the simplicity of single payer with the jumbled mess of private health insurance.
Dr. David Mair, a Minneapolis-based psychiatrist, yearns for a system that cuts down on unnecessary bureaucracy.
Dr. George Bohmfalk, a retired neurosurgeon and restaurant owner, believes single payer would reduce costs and administrative headaches for small businesses.
Dr. Jessica Schorr Saxe, a Charlotte-based family physician, argues that, for health coverage to be meaningful, it has to be truly comprehensive.
Dr. Susan Rogers, a retired general internist, supports single payer as a means of addressing racial, income-based, and community-level health disparities.
Dr. Phil Verhoef, a Chicago-based ICU physician, supports single payer (and funding hospitals through global budgets) as a means of promoting health equity.
Dr. Henry Kahn, an Atlanta-based primary care internist, believes all Americans, including his own family, his poorest neighbors, and his wealthiest neighbors should be covered under the same plan.
Dr. Mary Jo Groves, an Ohio-based family medicine doctor, points to the large body of research that shows single payer would dramatically improve population health.
Dr. Richard Bieser, a retired emergency physician, believes “you shouldn’t have to worry about the cost of an ambulance ride when you’re having a heart attack.”
Kelsey Noble, an Iowa medical student, asks whether “whole floors, even entire buildings” devoted to health care administration is a good use of resources.
Alec Feuerbach, a New York City medial student, wants to practice in a system that prioritizes patients over profits.