Time has come for Medicare for all

By Zach Thomas
Charlotte Observer, July 27, 2018

In response to “Medicare is turning 53. Here’s best way to celebrate” (July 27. Opinion).

As founding president of what is now Hospice and Palliative Care Charlotte Region, I celebrated the day hospice was included in Medicare’s reimbursement program in the early 1980s. Without Medicare, we’d still be dependent on private health insurance and fund raising.

I totally agree with Dr. George Bohmfalk’s fiscally conservative reasons for extending Medicare for all. Medical costs should not be the No. 1 reason pushing families and businesses into bankruptcy. Health crises can occur at any age.

Like hospice, Medicare for all is an idea whose time has come – and will never go away. We’re all in this together.

Zach Thomas is a board member of Health Care Justice – North Carolina, a PNHP chapter located in Charlotte.

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