Financing HR 676, The United
States National Health Insurance Act, (Medicare For All)
Medicare For All would reduce health
spending in 2005 from $1,918 trillion to $1,861.3 trillion (a
savings of over $56 billion) while covering all the uninsured.
Ninety-five percent of families would pay less for health care
than they do today. This is a 3% reduction in over-all health
care spending: what a family pays, business, and government
for health care.
Sources of Revenue (2005)
>Government: $852.5 billion
Keep existing federal, state and
local revenues that currently pay for Medicare (employer and
employee payroll taxes of 1.45% each or $194 billion) and other
federal and state programs.
>Employers and Employees: $441.6
billion
Implement a modest payroll tax of
3.3% on all public and private employers and employees, while
eliminating employer premiums for private health plans. This
is in addition to the 1.45% payroll tax that people are already
paying. So the total payroll tax is 4.75% on the employer, and
4.75% on the employee.
v 5% Health tax on the richest 5% of Americans; 10% tax on richest
1%: $221.8 billion
>Tax on stock and bond transactions:
$144.6 billion
Anyone who buys or sells a stock will pay a transaction tax
equal to one quarter of one percent of the purchase price. For
example, a $100 stock purchase will be taxed a total of 50 cents.
>Close corporate tax shelter loopholes:
$105.2 billion
>Repeal the Bush tax cut of 2001
and invest the Bush 'economic stimulus plan' of 2003 into health
care: $206 billion
>Household: $65.9 billion
Since all medically necessary services
including prescription drugs will be covered, the only expenses
left for individuals will be over-the-counter drugs such as
aspirin, elective cosmetic surgery, etc. This represents an
80% reduction in current out-of-pocket expenses.
>Existing non-patient revenues:
$44.5 billion
Existing funds raised from philanthropic donations from individuals
and foundations, and from hospital gift shops will continue
to contribute a small percentage of the total budget.
Total budget: $1.861 trillion
*This progressive funding package was developed in 2001 by Tony
Mazzochi (Labor Party) and Drs. David Himmelstein and Steffie
Woolhandler (Harvard), with assistance from Dean Baker (Center
for Economic Research and Policy). For more info, contact Joel
Segal, Rep. Conyers, 202 225-5126.