Universal care the way to go

Supporters of private health insurance persist in proclaiming the value of choosing the right insurance policy. Your choice depends on the cost of the premium and the benefits it provides.

The variables include the deductible, the co-pays, the policy limits of (if your costs per year exceed a stipulated figure, tough luck), and which providers are “in network.” Out-of-network providers sometimes are not paid at all, leaving the patient to pay the entire amount.

But not one of us can predict which policy is the best because we do not know which aliments will ultimately befall us. Some diseases are easy to treat; some are less expensive.

What is known is that we, as patients, want to see our providers of choice and have the bill paid in a timely manner. We want to do this while at the same time not needing to call a bankruptcy attorney. (Nearly 1 million bankruptcies per year are caused by health care expenses.)

The bottom line is that we all want the best coverage, but that can never be attained by relying on multiple private health insurance companies.

A new and improved Medicare-for-all plan would achieve it. Everyone would automatically have it.

This story was originally published March 13, 2017 at 4:37 PM with the headline "Universal care the way to go."