By Johnathon Ross, M.D., M.P.H.
The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer, Letters, January 15, 2020
Regarding your Jan. 10 editorial, āState should act to curb āsurpriseā medical billingā:
Physicians share your concern about the scourge of surprise billing. Itās but one symptom of a broken health care system built on administrative complexity and profiteering. Seeking the care they need, patients must contend with limited provider networks, copayments, and deductibles. To provide care, caregivers must deal with hundreds of insurers, each with variable payment rules and requirements. Some hospitals now employ more billing clerks than nurses!
To end this madness, we need an improved Medicare for all (HR 1384). This single-payer approach would reduce health care administrative waste by $600 billion yearly. These savings can be applied to universal coverage of all medically necessary care, including dental, vision and long-term care without increasing total U.S. health care costs. It would streamline billing through one payer (Medicare), freeing up hospitals and doctors to focus on patient care. Medicare for all would fund hospitals through publicly approved global operating budgets, providing a lifeline to struggling rural and urban hospitals. For patients, Medicare for All would provide free choice of doctors and hospitals. Narrow networks, copays, deductibles and surprise bills would be a thing of the past.
As a doctor, I prescribe Medicare for All.
Dr. Johnathon Ross is past president of Physicians for a National Health Program.