We learned a lot from John. 

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In John's opinion, the U.S. Healthcare system needs a total overhaul. He discusses the U.S. being the most expensive and least accessible healthcare system among high-income countries. He notes that for the vast amounts of money being spent on care, the U.S. has poor health outcomes compared to other high-income countries. 

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John believes Medicare For All is good policy and that its greatest benefit is the consolidation of high administrative costs. Administrative costs are currently spread out among every insurance company and claim adjudication business- each insurance plan has its own set of claims rules, policies, and procedures that make administrative services performed at insurance companies and by provider's offices duplicative, confusing and time-consuming. Medicare For All removes the duplication and confusion while standardizing claims rules, policies and procedures. 

 

However, John points out that Medicare For All does not address issues of health and inequity. It does nothing to address the obesity epidemic, mental health, and gun violence; all of which the medical community has been charged with mitigating. John believes the U.S. needs to fix our medical care system but also implement greater societal reforms that impact public health.

 

He notes that compared to other high-income countries, the U.S. population health measures are quite poor. He specifically mentions infant and maternal mortality, infant low-birth-weight and declining life expectancy.