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Economists in Support of a Medicare for All Health Care System

May 21, 2019

Progressive Democrats of America

An Open Letter to the Congress and People of the United States

As economists, we understand that a single-payer “Medicare for All” health insurance system for the U.S. can finance good-quality care for all U.S. residents as a basic right while still significantly reducing overall health care spending relative to the current exorbitant and wasteful system. Health care is not a service that follows standard market rules. It should therefore be provided as a public good.

Evidence from around the world demonstrates that publicly financed health care systems result in improved health outcomes, lower costs, and greater equity. As of 2017, the U.S. spent $3.3 trillion annually on health care. This equaled 17 percent of U.S. GDP, with average spending at about $10,000 per person. By contrast, Germany, France, Japan, Canada, the U.K., Australia, Spain and Italy spent between 9 – 11 percent of GDP on health care, averaging $3,400 to $5,700 per person. Yet average health outcomes in all of these countries are superior to those in the United States. In all of these countries, the public sector is predominant in financing heath care.

For these reasons the time is now to create a universal, single-payer, Medicare for All health care system in the United States.

Public financing for health is not a matter of raising new money for healthcare, but of reducing total healthcare outlays and distributing payments more equitably and efficiently. Implementing a unified single-payer system would reduce administrative costs and eliminate individuals’ and employers’ insurance premiums and out-of-pocket costs. If combined with public control of drug prices and a dramatically simplified global budgeting system, a sensible Medicare financing system would reduce healthcare costs while guaranteeing access to comprehensive care and financial security to all.

As such, we support publicly and equitably financed health care through a Medicare for All system at the Federal level, as described in H.R. 1384 and S. 1129. We encourage Congress to move forward with implementing a public financed Medicare for All plan to achieve the equitable and affordable universal health care system that the American people need.

 

 

Signed,

1 Randy Albelda, Professor of Economics, University of Massachusetts Boston

2 Carolyn B. Aldana, Professor Emeritus, California State University, San Bernardino 3 Mona Ali, Associate Professor of Economics, SUNY New Paltz

4 Larry Allen, Professor of Economics, Lamar University

5 Jack Amariglio, Emeritus Professor of Economics, Merrimack College

6 Eileen Appelbaum, Co-Director and Senior Economist, Center for Economic and Policy Research

7 Peter Arno, Senior Fellow & Director Health Policy Research, Political Economy Research Institute, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

8 Michael Ash, Professor of Economics & Public Policy, University of Massachusetts Amherst

9 Glen Atkinson, Emeritus Professor of Economics, University of Nevada, Reno

10 M V Lee Badgett, Professor of Economics, University of Massachusetts Amherst

11 Ron Baiman, Assistant Professor of Economics, Benedictine University

12 Dean Baker, Senior Economist, Center for Economic and Policy Research

13 Radhika Balakrishnan, Professor, Rutgers University

14 Nina Banks, Associate Professor of Economics, Bucknell University

15 David Barkin, Distinguished Professor, Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana

16 Charles Barone, Professor Emeritus, Dickinson College

17 Deepankar Basu, Associate Professor, University of Massachusetts Amherst

18 Lourdes Beneria, Professor Emerita, Cornell University

19 Peter H. Bent, Assistant Professor, American University of Paris

20 Suzanne Bergeron, Professor, University of Michigan Dearborn

21 Cyrus Bina, Distinguished Research Professor of Economics, University of Minnesota (Morris Campus), and Fellow, Economists for Peace and Security

22 Josh Bivens, Research Director, Economic Policy Institute

23 Robert A. Blecker, Professor of Economics, American University

24 Peter Bohmer, Faculty in Economics and Political Economy, The Evergreen State College

25 Howard Botwinick, Associate Professor of Economics, SUNY Cortland

26 Roger Even Bove, Ph.D. in Economics, West Chester University (retired)

27 James K. Boyce, Professor Emeritus, University of Massachusetts Amherst

28 Robert Brenner, Director, Center for Social Theory and Comparative History, UCLA

29 Michael Brün, Instructor, Heartland Community College

30 Antonio Callari, Professor, Franklin and Marshall College

31 Al Campbell, Emeritus Professor of Economics, University of Utah

32 Martha Campbell, Associate Professor of Economics, Emeritus, SUNY Potsdam

33 Jim Campen, Professor of Economics, Emeritus, University of Massachusetts Boston

34 José Caraballo, Professor, University of Puerto Rico

35 Scott Carter, Professor of Economics, The University of Tulsa

36 James F Casey, Associate Professor of Economics, Washington and Lee University

37 John Dennis Chasse, Professor Emeritus, SUNY College at Brockport

38 Robert Chernomas, Professor of Economics, University of Manitoba

39 Kimberly Christensen, Economics Professor, Sarah Lawrence College

40 Douglas Cliggott, Lecturer, Economics, University of Massachusetts

41 Nathaniel Cline, Associate Professor, University of Redlands

42 Richard Cornwall, Professor Emeritus, Middlebury College

43 James Crotty, Emeritus Professor, University of Massachusetts

44 Dr. James Cypher, Professor of Economics, Universidad Autonoma de Zacatecas, Mexico, and Emeritus Professor, California State University

45 Omar Dahi, Hampshire College

46 Anita Dancs, Associate Professor of Economics, Western New England University

47 Paul Davidson, Emeritus Professor Chair of Honor, University of Tennessee

48 Charles Davis, Professor of Labor Studies, Indiana University

49 Carmen Diana Deere, Distinguished Professor Emerita, University of Florida

50 George DeMartino, Professor, JKSIS, University of Denver

51 Firat Demir, Professor, University of Oklahoma

52 James G. Devine, Professor of Economics, Loyola Marymount University

53 Geert Dhondt, Associate Professor, John Jay College, CUNY

54 Peter Dorman, Professor of Political Economy, Evergreen State College

55 Richard Du Boff, Professor Emeritus, Bryn Mawr College

56 Marie C. Duggan, Professor of Economics, Keene State College

57 Amitava Krishna Dutt, Professor of Economics and Political Science, University of Notre Dame

58 Nina Eichacker, Assistant Professor, University of Rhode Island

59 David P Ellerman, Visiting Scholar, University of California at Riverside

60 Gerald Epstein, Professor of Economics, University of Massachusetts Amherst

61 Thomas Ferguson, Professor Emeritus, University of Massachusetts Boston

62 Ellen Fitzpatrick, Professor, Merrimack College

63 Sean Flaherty, Professor of Economics, Franklin and Marshall College

64 Nancy Folbre, Professor Emerita of Economics, University of Massachusetts Amherst

65 Mariko Frame, Assistant Professor of Economics, Merrimack College

66 Dania V. Francis, Assistant Professor, University of Massachusetts Amherst

67 Gerald Friedman, Professor of Economics, University of Massachusetts Amherst

68 James K. Galbraith, Professor, University of Texas at Austin

69 Barbara Garson, Author, Money Makes the World Go Round

70 Armagan Gezici, Associate Professor of Economics, Keene State College

71 Helen Lachs Ginsburg, Professor Emerita of Economics, Brooklyn College/CUNY

72 Mwangi Wa Githinji, Associate Professor, University of Massachusetts-Amherst

73 Art Goldsmith, Professor of Economics, Washington and Lee University

74 Neva Goodwin, Co-director, GDAE, Tufts University

75 Ulla Grapard, Professor of Economics and Women’s Studies, Emerita, Colgate University

76 Robert Guttmann, Augustus B Weller Professor of Economics, Hofstra University

77 Robin E Hahnel, Professor Emeritus, American University

78 John Battaile Hall, Professor of Economics, Portland State University

79 Jay Hamilton, Assistant Professor, John Jay College

80 Greg P. Hannsgen, Founder and Blogger, Greg Hannsgen’s Economics Blog, and Research Associate, Levy Economics Institute of Bard College

81 John T. Harvey, Professor of Economics, Texas Christian University

82 Baban Hasnat, Professor of International Business, SUNY Brockport

83 F. Gregory Hayden, Professor, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

84 Carol E. Heim, Professor of Economics, University of Massachusetts Amherst

85 John Forrest Henry, Senior Scholar, Levy Economics Institute, and Adjunct Professor, University of Missouri-Kansas City

86 P. Sai-wing Ho, Professor, University of Denver

87 Joan Hoffman, Professor, John Jay College of Criminal Justice CUNY

88 Barbara Hopkins, Professor, Wright State University

89 Candace Howes, Professor of Economics, Connecticut College

90 Eric Hoyt, Ph.D. in Economics, University of Massachusetts Amherst, and Research Director, Center for Employment Equity

91 Joseph Michael Hunt, Instructor, Environmental and Health Policy, Harvard Uiversity

92 Dorene Isenberg, Professor of Economics, University of Redlands

93 Tae-Hee Jo, Associate Professor, SUNY Buffalo State

94 Fadhel Kaboub, Associate Professor of Economics, Denison University, and President, Global Institute for Sustainable Prosperity

95 Stephanie A Kelton, Professor of Economics and Public Policy, Stony Brook University, and Senior Economic Advisor, Bernie2020 Presidential Campaign

96 Haider A Khan, John Evans Distinguished University Professor, University of Denver

97 Mu-Jeong Kho, University College London, the University of London

98 Marlene Kim, Professor, University of Massachusetts Boston

99 Mary C. King, Professor of Economics Emerita, Portland State University

100 Charalampos Konstantinidis, Associate Professor, University of Massachusetts Boston

101 Kazim Konyar, Professor of Economics, California State University, San Bernardino

102 Brent Kramer, Adjunct Assistant Professor, City University of New York

103 Patrick L Mason, Professor of Economics, Florida State University, and Director, African American Studies Program

104 David Laibman, Professor Emeritus, Economics, City University of New York, and Editor, Science & Society

105 Thomas Lambert, Lecturer, University of Louisville

106 Anthony Laramie, Professor of Economics, Merrimack College

107 Margaret Levenstein, Research Professor, Institute for Social Research and School of Information, University of Michigan

108 An Li, Assistant Professor, Sarah Lawrence College

109 Victor D. Lippit, Professor Emeritus of Economics, University of California, Riverside

110 James Luke, Professor of Economics, Lansing Community College

111 Daniel MacDonald, Assistant Professor, California State University San Bernardino

112 Arthur MacEwan, Professor Emeritus of Economics, University of Massachusetts Boston

113 Allan MacNeill, Professor, Webster University

114 Zagros Madjd-Sadjadi, Full Professor of Economics, Winston-Salem State University, and Former Chief Economist, City and County of San Francisco

115 Yahya M. Madra, Associate Professor of Economics, Drew University

116 Theresa Mannah-Blankson, Assistant Professor of Economics, Messiah College

117 Thomas Masterson, Director of Applied Micromodeling, Levy Economics Institute of Bard College

118 Gabriel Mathy, Assistant Professor, American University

119 Peter H Matthews, Dana Professor of Economics, Middlebury College

120 Scott McConnell, Associate Professor of Economics, Eastern Oregon University, and Owner/CEO, Side A Brewing

121 Elaine McCrate, Economics Professor Emerita, University of Vermont

122 Terrence McDonough, Professor Emeritus, National University Ireland Galway

123 Martin Melkonian, Adjunct Associate Professor, Economics, Hofstra University

124 Peter B. Meyer, Professor Emeritus of Urban Policy and Economics, University of Louisville

125 Thomas Michl, Professor of Economics, Colgate University

126 John Miller, Professor of Economics, Wheaton College

127 Katherine A. Moos, Assistant Professor of Economics, University of Massachusetts Amherst

128 Tracy Mott, Professor, University of Denver

129 Michele Naples, Professor of Economics, The College of New Jersey

130 Daniel H. Neilson, Faculty in Economics, Bard College at Simon’s Rock

131 Edward J. Nell, Emeritus Professor, New School for Social Research

132 Julie A. Nelson, Professor, University of Massachusetts Boston

133 Reynold F. Nesiba, Professor of Economics, Augustana University

134 John Casey Nicolarsen, Visiting Professor, Sarah Lawrence College

135 Eric Nilsson, Professor, California State University San Bernardino

136 Erik Olsen, Associate Professor, University of Missouri Kansas City

137 Paulette Olson, Professor Emerita, Wright State University

138 Lenore Palladino, Senior Economist, Roosevelt Institute

139 Christian Parenti, Associate Professor Department of Economics, John Jay College CUNY

140 Mark Paul, Assistant Professor of Economics, New College of Florida

141 Eva Paus, Professor of Economics, Mount Holyoke College

142 Karen A Pfeifer, Professor Emerita of Economics, Smith College

143 Lynda Pickbourn, Assistant Professor of Economics, Hampshire College

144 Bruce Pietrykowski, Professor of Economics, University of Michigan-Dearborn

145 Chiara Piovani, Associate Professor, University of Denver

146 Robert Pollin, Distinguished Professor of Economics, University of Massachusetts Amherst, and Co-Director, Political Economy Research Institute (PERI)

147 Devin T. Rafferty, Assistant Professor, Saint Peter’s University, and Founding Director, MS Finance Program

148 Pratistha Joshi Rajkarnikar, Postdoc Scholar, Global Development and Environment Institute, Tufts University

149 Michael Robinson, Professor of Economics, Mount Holyoke College

150 John Roche, Associate Proferssor Emeritus, St John Fisher College

151 Leonard Rodberg, Emeritus Professor of Urban Studies, Queens College/CUNY

152 Leanne Roncolato, Assistant Professor of Economics, Franklin and Marshall College

153 Frank Roosevelt, Emeritus Professor of Economics, Sarah Lawrence College

154 Jaime Ros, Emeritus Professor, University of Notre Dame, and Professor of Economics, National Autonomous University of Mexico

155 Nancy E Rose, Professor Emeritus, California State University San Bernardino

156 Trevor R. Roycroft, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, Ohio University

157 David F. Ruccio, Professor of Economics, University of Notre Dame

158 Jeffrey D. Sachs, Professor, Columbia University

159 Gregory M Saltzman, Professor of Economics and Management, Albion College

160 John Sarich, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art

161 John Schmitt, Vice President, Economic Policy Institute

162 Jeremy Schwartz, Associate Professor, Loyola University Maryland

163 Elliott Sclar, Emeritus Professor, Columbia University

164 Stephanie Seguino, Professor of Economics, University of Vermont

165 Mark Setterfield, Professor of Economics, New School for Social Research

166 Anwar Shaikh, Professor, New School for Social Research

167 Barry G. Shelley, Senior Lecturer, Pardee School of Global Studies, Boston University

168 Zoe Sherman, Assistant Professor of Economics, Merrimack College

169 Heidi Shierholz, Senior Economist and Director of Policy, Economic Policy Institute

170 Hee-Young Shin, Assistant Professor, Wright State University

171 Nicholas Shunda, Associate Professor of Economics, University of Redlands

172 Kellin Stanfield, Assistant Professor of Economics, Hobart and William Smith Colleges

173 Howard Stein, Professor, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

174 Jose A. Tapia, Associate Professor, Drexel University

175 Linwood Tauheed, Associate Professor, University of Missouri Kansas City

176 Daniele Tavani, Associate Professor, Colorado State University

177 Pavlina R. Tcherneva, Program Director and Associate Professor of Economics, Bard College, and Research Associate, Levy Economics Institute

178 Chris Tilly, Professor of Urban Planning, UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs

179 E. Ahmet Tonak, Visiting Professor, Economics, University of Massachusetts Amherst

180 Mariano Torras, Professor, Adelphi University

181 Andres Torres, Distinguished Lecturer, Lehman College (retired)

182 Mayo Toruno, Professor Emeritus, California State University San Bernardino

183 Eric Tymoigne, Associate Professor of Economics, Lewis & Clark College

184 Vamsi Vakulabharanam, Associate Professor of Economics, University of Massachusetts Amherst

185 William Van Lear, Economics Professor, Belmont Abbey College

186 Ramaa Vasudevan, Associate Professor, Colorado State University

187 Tanadej Vechsuruck, Assistant Professor, University of Rhode Island

188 William Waller, Professor of Economics, Hobart and William Smith Colleges

189 John P. Watkins, Professor of Economics, Westminster College, and Adjunct Professor of Economics, University of Utah

190 David F. Weiman, Professor of Economics, Barnard College, Columbia University

191 Scott A. Weir, Ph.D. in Economics, Retired

192 Jeannette Wicks-Lim, Associate Research Professor, Political Economy Research Institute

193 Noé Wiener, Lecturer, University of Massachusetts Amherst

194 Robert B. Williams, Professor of Economics, Guilford College

195 John Willoughby, Professor, Department of Economics, American University

196 Benjamin Wilson, Assistant Professor, SUNY Cortland

197 Lucas Wilson, Professor, Mount Holyoke College

198 Valerie Wilson, Director, Program on Race, Ethnicity & the Economy, Economic Policy Institute

199 Andrew J Winnick, Professor Emeritus, California State University Los Angeles

200 Jon D. Wisman, Professor of Economics, American University

201 Richard D. Wolff, Professor of Economics Emeritus, University of Massachusetts Amherst

202 L. Randall Wray, Professor of Economics and Senior Scholar, Bard College and Levy Economics Institute

203 Brenda Wyss, Associate Professor, Wheaton College Massachusetts

204 Yavuz Yasar, Associate Professor, University of Denver

205 Tai Young-Taft, Assistant Professor of Economics, Bard College at Simon’s Rock, and Research Scholar, Levy Economics Institute of Bard College

206 June Zaccone, Associate Professor of Economics, Emerita, Hofstra University

207 Ajit Zacharias, Senior Scholar, Levy Economics Institute

208 German A. Zarate-Hoyos, Associate Professor, SUNY Cortland

209 Gabriel Zucman, Assistant Professor of Economics, University of California, Berkeley

1 Comment

  1. Bryan Blakely

    From these lips to Congressional ears.

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