“As head of the nation’s largest insurer — Medicare, Medicaid, and the Obamacare exchanges — I see the day-to-day challenges of government-run programs, and am deeply concerned about the proposals we have seen to upend healthcare in America, particularly Medicare for All and the public option. These proposals are the largest threats to the American healthcare system,” Ms. Verma said in prepared remarks.
She called both plans a “complete government takeover,” which she believes will reduce access to care, inhibit competition, encourage consolidation and, under the public option, send employer-based insurance prices up.
“Make no mistake — the public option is a Trojan horse with a single payer hiding inside,” she said.
Instead, Ms. Verma touted the Trump administration’s efforts to expand Medicare Advantage, to which she credits the success of Medicare.
“What works in the Medicare program is Medicare Advantage — because plans are competing on the basis of cost and quality, driving toward value and increasing choices for beneficiaries,” Ms. Verma said.
Read the full remarks here.
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