Medicare for All: What this shift would mean for hospitals

Medicare for All is touted by its supporters as a way to make sure every citizen has the opportunity to receive excellent health care.

As the name implies, instead of having patients on private insurance plans, all people in the United States would receive an expanded form of Medicare under a single payor system. Each person would have the opportunity to enroll, regardless of whether they’ve reached retirement age, and the plan would be administered by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

In its current proposed form, Medicare for All would cover all necessary services for patients, including primary care and inpatient hospitalizations, according to an article from factcheck.org. The plan would be more comprehensive than what Medicare currently offers, as patients would also receive dental, hearing and vision coverage.

Opponents to this plan say that it’ll drive up healthcare costs and worsen wait times for critical healthcare services, according to a New York Times article.

And even though more money may be spent on healthcare, hospitals could see less of it. It’s likely that, under Medicare for All, hospitals will be paid at Medicare rates for the services they provide, which is often lower than the reimbursement form private payors.