Their Take: Public Option, Medicare Expansion Threatens Access, Affordability

Proposals in Washington to overhaul our nation’s health care system and move it toward a more government-controlled model would have a debilitating impact on the private insurance market, threatening to increase costs and reduce access for vulnerable Arizonans.

Instead of pushing for reckless expansion of Medicare or a public option, Congress should focus on bringing down costs for everyone, regardless of where they get their insurance. The way to do that is by continuing to build on the successes we have seen under the ACA to expand access to care for all Americans. Imposing a top-down, government-run health care insurance system will have the opposite effect.

The public option is nothing more than a stepping-stone to a single-payer system. Along the way, it would threaten private and employer-sponsored health care coverage.

A public option would force most private and employer-sponsored plans out of the market while increasing premiums for those that manage to stay in. As costs increase, the public option becomes the de facto option and suddenly, there are far fewer choices for patients and consumers.

According to one study, a public option would also be devastating for Arizona’s rural and underserved communities. It would increase revenue losses at rural hospitals nationwide by roughly $6 billion compared to current levels.

Many of these facilities are already operating on extraordinarily thin margins, so these cuts could be enough to force them to eliminate vital services, reduce staff, or close down entirely. That would force patients living in rural and underserved communities to travel even longer distances just to access a lower quality of care.

Medicare expansion proposals, meanwhile, would test the limits of a program that is already facing steep financial woes. By opening up the program to millions of new, younger Americans, Medicare expansion could threaten the efficacy of the program for the millions of seniors who already rely on it to access the critical care they need. We should not be jeopardizing access to care or affordability for those who have contributed to Medicare their entire working lives. That isn’t right or fair.

The Arizona Association of Health Underwriters believes all Arizonans should have access to affordable, high-quality health coverage—and that the free market in combination with existing public programs are the best way to lower costs and expand access. That is the path Congress should take to improve health care in America.

The Arizona Association of Health Underwriters is a state-based organization who’s mission is to improve its members’ ability to meet the health, financial, and retirement security needs of all Arizonans through education, advocacy, and professional development.