Hollingsworth fields questions about Medicare for All, socialism at chamber luncheon
Speaking at a
Hollingsworth said there is an ongoing philosophical debate about how to fix the country's health care system. He added one side thinks the answer is to move to a single-payer health insurance system -- sometimes referred to as "Medicare for All."
"I think we should go in exactly the opposite direction," Hollingsworth said. "I think the focus should be on delivering more options, more competition and putting the patient at the center of this instead of putting a government bureaucrat."
The Republican listed a number of issues he has with switching to a single-payer system. They include the estimated
Medicare for All advocates from
"It should be a citizen's right to health care,"
"Let's say my out-of-pocket for a year is
But Hollingsworth is not sold on the savings supporters of a single-payer system purport. He does not have much faith in the federal government to deliver an efficient service. Even Medicare, which he says some tout as an efficient system, operates less efficiently than private health insurance when considering the overhead per person.
He also believes that moving toward a government-run system would eliminate competition, increase prices and limit coverage options. Rather, he said the focus should be on driving down the costs without changing the delivery system.
He also pushed back on those characterizing Medicare for All as providing free health care.
"It is really, really important that we do not fall for the ruse that is often put out there that this would become free because the government is paying for it," Hollingsworth said. "We fund the government."
Goral thinks people need to do a better job of explaining Medicare for All.
"Making the language clearer would do everybody a bigger service," Krahnke said.
Push back against socialism
Hollingsworth does not understand how in 2019 the public is having a debate on the merits of socialism.
Hollingsworth said the American public has got to push back against the idea that socialism can work here. He said there needs to be conversations about empowering Americans.
What makes this country great, he said, is not the politicians in
"I thought we had said as a country, maybe even as humans, that this system ... hasn't worked sustainably anywhere in the world," Hollingsworth said. "Government can't do everything for all people."
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