Medicare for All

Healthcare continues to be one of the defining political issues in the United States. Though many progressives argue for an overhaul of the current system based on ethical or humanitarian principles, this important book offers an economic rationale for providing healthcare for all. The purpose of Medicare For All: An Economic Rationale is to demonstrate how current runaway healthcare prices can be addressed by implementing the cost-effectiveness of Medicare For All. Written by a former Corporate Director and healthcare consultant, this book illustrates why the current free market model for healthcare is ultimately failing the country by not containing rising healthcare costs, which has a severe economic impact on all Americans, including those covered by employer medical plans. Major factors in that failure such as the lack of transparency, human decision factors, and high administrative costs in the current system are explored. The book demonstrates that implementing Medicare For All, providing comprehensive benefits with no copays, private insurance premiums, deductibles, or other cost-sharing, will not only improve the lives of most Americans, but will be far more cost-effective than the present system. This is an incisive, important contribution to a topic that continues to shape American political discourse and will be of interest to scholars and professionals engaged in this area as well as politicians and the public in general.

Ken Lefkowitz is a former consultant and Senior Director for major corporations, including AstraZeneca and PECO Energy. Ken designed and managed healthcare plans for hundreds of thousands of employees and their dependents. He has negotiated with major health insurers and managed large corporate self-insured plans. A number of his writings about healthcare have been published in the Washington Post, Courier Post/USA Today Network, Philadelphia Inquirer, and the New York Times. Ken earned a BA degree from Brooklyn College, MS degree from City University of NY, and pursued graduate business studies at St. Johns University.

1. A Brief Background and Outline of the Book, 2. America's Health Care Costs and Quality, 3. High Prices and the Free Market System, 4. Overhead and Administrative Cost, 5. The Burden of High Healthcare Costs, 6. Savings Under Medicare for All, 7. The ACA and Other Issues, 8. Summary, Appendix: The Canadian and German Healthcare Systems