Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, on How to Pay for Medicare for All

[SlackerInc]

@Riemann

So if only one other country had already successfully implemented UHC funded by general taxation successfuly, for half the cost and with better outcomes, you’d be willing to try it in the U.S. But when nearly all other countries have done it… you’re adamant that it won’t work here?

Straw man.

@SlackerInc

We need to get everyone at least basic coverage. But I believe that’s going to cost a shit-ton of money

I’m adamant that we can’t just adopt another country’s system this late in the game and expect that it will get our costs down to parity with theirs. (If only a single country had done it, it would presumably be a fairly recent change and therefore “emulateable” in the same form.)

I’m *not *adamant that we can’t have a universal health care entitlement here. I believe it is a human rights imperative that we do. But we need to be more realistic about the cost and therefore aim for a more modest scale. A HDHP/HSA entitlement would be far more affordable, less disruptive, and would not spur most people to use a lot more medical services. And it would not mess with people who have more generous health coverage through their employers.