Medicare For All

Did you know that there is one town in the U.S. where everyone in town get Medicare?
It's Libby, Montana.

They don't have to be 65 years old or more.
They don't have to wait until 2014 for the state exchanges.
No ten-year roll out - it's immediate.
They don't have to purchase a plan - this is not a buy-in to Medicare - it's free.
They don't have to be disabled for two years before they apply.
They don't have to go without care for three years until Medicaid expands.
They don't have to meet income tests.
They don't have to apply for a subsidy.
They don't have to pay a fine for failure to buy insurance.
They don't have to hope that the market will make a plan affordable.
They don't have to hide their pre-existing conditions.
They don't have to find a job that provides coverage.

Thanks to Max Baucus who inserted a special section into the Affordable Care Act just for Libby, Montana. You can read all about it here. What is really galling is that Max Baucus was the primary reason "Medicare for All" or single payer was taken off the table when Congress was negotiating the health care law.