Medicare for all

The push for national healthcare, sometimes called Medicare for all, is getting more attention. The upside is an estimated savings of $45 billion per year from reduced administrative costs, better price negotiation power and increased access to preventive care. The downside is the availability of care. There is currently a shortage of medical care professionals and this will get worse as the population ages in particular the baby boomers. The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) projects a shortage of 124,000 physicians by 2034 and a current shortage of 300,000 nurses. In additions there are shortages in health workers is special units like eldercare facilities. If healthcare is free for all then preventive testing will help but over use can cause delays in service. The US population is projected to grow by 6% by 2036 but the over age 65 group will grow by 34%. The net result is the people will trade lower cost for longer waiting periods.