People pay $300-500 a month per person for premiums out of pocket, then have deductibles of $2000-3000, after the employer contributions. For most people, that’s a hell of a lot of money. Once the deductible is fulfilled, they are still kicking in 15-30%. Do you really think that wouldn’t cover Medicare?
Citation needed. Plus, no one is saying that it would be feasible without increasing taxes. But taking those deductibles and premiums and converting them to taxes, and you’ve got it more than covered. It’s simple math: Take what we spend on healthcare, which includes the direct costs and the insurance, subtract the insurance, and you’ve got the direct cost = Medicare for All. You could even keep all the administrative workers employed in order to manage it, and you’re still saving a ton of money by eliminating the profit, “shareholder value,” and ludicrous executive salaries. If that’s still not enough, convert the employer contributions into corporate taxes (net zero) and now you’re running at a surplus.
Did you even read the article you linked? 46% of Canadians can see their doctor next day. Holy crap, that would be a lovely dream. I’m lucky to be able to see my doctor next month, and I’m on one of the cushiest employer-provided health insurance plans. Also, that rate is 76% for New Zealand and 77% for The Netherlands - both countries with socialized medicine.
ETA: That doesn’t even factor in the frequency that private insurers capriciously decide to not cover a procedure after the fact, even if it’s pre-approved or clearly medically necessary. I had two visits to a specialist that were pre-approved by insurance, but because the specialist’s office manager billed it to my old insurance by mistake, it crossed a magical barrier of 90 days and the new insurer won’t pay it. I told them it was their mistake, but now, not only am I not welcome at that office, they have half-heartedly threatened to send it to collections.
