This essay was written by Arthur Donart, Ph. D.
I remember long ago, when doctors made “house calls” to treat patients. They would take your temperature, pulse, and respiration and then stick a tongue depressor in your mouth and shine a light down your throat. After that, they would take some pills out of their black bag and instruct Mom when she should make you swallow a pill. And, the charge for this personal, timely service? “Five dollars.” He would add, “But if you haven’t got it, just give me what you can, and pay the rest later (that is, if you can.”) If people had to go to the hospital, no one was shut out. They had a ward for the poor, with as many as eight beds. Back then, virtually no one had “health insurance.”
By the 60s, health insurance became more popular. A serious medical problem could bankrupt you. Employers were providing health insurance as a fringe benefit, and there was no income tax on it. Insurance companies were just spreading the risk–just like storm insurance or car insurance–and making a profit for their shareholders. By the mid 70s, these companies found that they could make more money by “cherry picking.” They would refuse to insure people with high-risk medical problems or they would raise the cost to groups that had an aged population. The goal was to make as high a profit as the insurance company could get away with.
To solve this problem Congress passed “Obama Care,” which prohibited “cherry picking.” The insurance lobby demanded–and got–subsidies, because this inclusive coverage would really cut into their profits. A profit-driven healthcare system is not going to provide health care for all. It will only provide health care to those who can pay for it.
Remember, “Medicare for All” is a not-for-profit healthcare insurance, like Social Security.
Republican Senator Bill Cassidy from Louisiana stated on Sunday, November 16, 2025, that health insurance is 24% of the cost of health care. The Medicare cost is only 2%.
If we eliminate for-profit health insurance and lower costs by 22%, there will be enough money to cover everyone. Cassidy opposed this idea, citing the British medical system. Unfortunately, that is like comparing oranges with lemons.
The British System is owned and operated by their Government.
“Medicare for All” is an insurance program operated by the United States Government.