“One of my most unpleasant experiences as a physician was our small practice’s monthly review of patients’ unpaid bills…their difficulty paying their medical bills has led me to look into why that problem exists in the health care system in which I worked for many years. I’ve learned two things: Health care prices in the U.S. are higher than in peer countries and many costs are hidden, making it hard for people to fully anticipate how much they will owe for their medical care.
Also, employees bear the burden of their health care premiums and these include hefty administrative fees paid to insurance companies. Employers, facing rising health benefit costs, may hold back on wage increases, adding to the hidden cost of health care for workers.
Even property taxes contribute: I found in my town’s budget that 6 percent of those taxes go to funding health insurance for municipal employees, a cost passed on to homeowners and renters alike. As businesses spend roughly 7 percent of their labor costs on employee health coverage, the prices we pay for everyday goods and services, including utilities, groceries and entertainment, may be inflated to accommodate these expenses.
All these factors mean that Mainers are likely paying up to three times more for health care than they realize. ….
To address these high and hidden health care costs, some propose replacing the current system with a simpler one where everyone pays a clear, straightforward premium based on their income, not their health care needs…Nationally, it’s represented by the Medicare for All bill, and more than 20 states have considered similar single-payer plans at the state level…
…Anyone interested in pursuing this approach has several options to do so. Contact organizations supportive of the single-payer model, such as Maine AllCare or Physicians for a National Health Program, to learn more….Ask their U.S. senators and representatives to co-sponsor the Medicare for All Act as well as the State Based Universal Health Care Act, passage of which would facilitate further study of a single-payer plan for Maine.
That’s what I should have talked to my patients about when I called them.”
Daniel Bryant is a retired internist who practiced in Portland, as well as at Naval Air Station Jacksonville in Florida. He is a member of the Maine chapter of the national Scholars Strategy Network, which brings together scholars across the country to address public challenges and their policy implications. Members’ columns appear in the Bangor Daily News every other week.