As a nurse practitioner, my focus is on patients, not politics. But I can't help but notice that as the crowded field of presidential candidates debates their various health care proposals, there seems to be a lot of focus on what makes a good campaign slogan and far too little attention paid to what makes good health care policy.
While these proposed government health insurance systems – including “Medicare for all,” “Medicare buy-in,” “Medicare for America,” or “public-option” – may have catchy names, that isn't the only thing they have in common. For one thing, these plans are short on important details, like how much they would cost taxpayers. And they would all ultimately lead to the same result: a one-size-fits-all government-run system that would hurt patients.
