qotd: Et tu, Atul?

Don Berwick for Governor (Massachusetts)


It is time to find a way to get to yes on a *single payer system* in
Massachusetts. The complexity of our health care payment system adds
costs, uncertainties, and hassles for everyone - patients,
families, doctors, and employers. On day one, I will appoint a
multi-stakeholder Single Payer Advisory Panel to investigate and report
back within six months on how Massachusetts moves to a single
payer health insurance system like Medicare for all.


http://www.berwickforgovernor.com/health-care


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0.jpg*Atul Gawande**Verified account*@Atul_Gawande
<https://twitter.com/Atul_Gawande>

My MA checklist for tomorrow: (1) Go to polling station. (2) Vote for

#DonBerwick <https://twitter.com/hashtag/DonBerwick?src=hash>for the
Democratic Gov nomination.


https://twitter.com/Atul_Gawande


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Comment by Don McCanne


Although PNHP does not endorse political candidates, this is important
news for single payer advocates. Donald Berwick, former administrator of
the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), has made single
payer a central issue in his campaign to be the Democratic nominee for
Governor of Massachusetts. And now he has been endorsed by noted Harvard
Professor and journalist Atul Gawande, who has quite a following
amongst the politicos in D.C., not to mention those around the nation
who follow health policy.


It is now more clear than ever that the Affordable Care Act is going to
fall far short of the reform that we need. The fact that single payer is
an issue in today's election in Massachusetts - the state that already
has both Romneycare and Obamacare - indicates that the single payer
concept is alive and well. Although it is likely that Martha Coakley
will be the nominee, that attests to her popularity within the state, as
the voters are going to the polls to select an individual personality as
their candidate and are not voting based on specific issues.


The message is that, although ACA is the law of the land, it is still
okay to advocate for single payer. In fact, more than okay. Fixing our
highly dysfunctional system is still an imperative.


Whether or not Don Berwick and Atul Gawande are ambitious men, they
surely are honorable.