Medicare Advantage for All: A Potential Path to Universal Coverage

JAMA Network December 16, 2021
Greg J. Zahner, MD, MSc; Peter W. Croughan, MD; Daniel M. Blumenthal, MD, MBA

A growing majority of people in the US support universal health insurance,^1,2 but important questions remain about what is the best and most politically palatable framework for realizing this goal. Some policy makers have advocated for universal coverage through “Medicare for All,” which would consolidate private and public health insurance into a single payer administered by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

However, Medicare for All has several key limitations and risks. Eliminating private health insurance would effectively eliminate a large sector of the US economy. Additionally, this model would leave an unclear role for managed care organizations (MCOs), which are how most individuals in the US currently receive health insurance coverage.³ Moreover, in a survey of 1190...

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