About
Mary Auer
About the
3rd Senate District
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Universal Health Care
Health care in America is in crisis. In Missouri alone, there are over 700,000 people with no health insurance. 85% of them work for a living but get no health insurance benefit, and their wages are not adequate to allow them to buy their own coverage. So-called "managed care" takes personal medical decisions away from doctors and patients and gives decision-making power to insurance companies with financial incentives to deny necessary care. And millions of dollars spent on health care are wasted on needless administrative costs.
There is a better way. Under a universal "single payer" health plan, everyone is covered and no one gets left behind. If you live or work in Missouri, you would be covered, even if you change jobs or start your own business. We would combine what everyone now pays for Medicare, Medicaid, other government health programs, insurance and out-of-pocket costs and pay it into one system. Costs would be based on ability to pay, instead of putting the burden on those who are sick and helpless. The plan would be similar to Medicare or the insurance that government employees enjoy. It would provide for all necessary services, including prescriptions, prevention and mental health. Medical decisions would be made by you and your doctor, not some insurance company.
Increased benefits and covering the "uninsurable" is possible because of huge savings in administrative and overhead costs. A single-payer plan simplifies the system, eliminates most of the wasteful bureaucracy and allowed the savings to be applied to better health care. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that such a plan would save over $14 billion in administrative costs.
Who loses? The big insurance companies and HMOs. That's why they are spending big money to try to defeat this proposal and any candidate that supports it.
Issues
Universal Health Care
Abortion Rights
Campaign Finance Reform
Gun Control
Other Issues
Paid for by Auer Committee, Harry C. Auer, Treasurer