By Olveen Carrasquillo, M.D., M.P.H.
Miami Herald, September 21, 2018
Keep the government away from Medicare.
Seriously?
Herman Cain, former CEO of the National Restaurant Association and a former presidential candidate, ludicrously argues that single-payer healthcare would be a death sentence for seniors in his Sept. 19 op-ed in the Miami Herald.
He seems unaware seniors are already insured through single-payer health insurance ā itās called Medicare.
He cites anecdotes from other countries, yet all academic studies show such nations have better access and quality healthcare. They also have better health outcomes at much lower costs.
In our public hospital, we are confronted daily with the suffering that results from having so many with poor access to health care.
In our offices, we waste way too much time fighting private insurance companies that arbitrarily deny tests, procedures and medications to our patients.
Skyrocketing insulin prices force many with diabetes to ration or not take their lifesaving medications.
It is easy to dismiss rhetoric from someone whose political ads highlighted the virtues of smoking.
But Cain is correct that Obamacare was problematic. It provided many with expensive private insurance with limited benefits. Wisely, Obama has seen the error of his ways and now advocates for an improved Medicare for All.
Medicare is the right solution for our seniors and now needs to be extended to everyone else!
Dr. Carrasquillo is professor of medicine and public health, and chief, division of General Internal Medicine at the University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine.