Pie in the sky idea? Nah, 62% of Michigan voters support “Medicare for All” 

Sitting on my desk this morning is a UM-Health Sparrow bill. My daughter needed a blood draw before heading off to college. Standard stuff, apparently. Testing iron level, that kind of stuff.  

I’d tell you more, but I’m the dad. This was a perfunctory visit, so I honestly didn’t pay it much mind. Until I got the bill.  

Total charges: $416. Patient discount: $312. Patient balance: $104. 

This was a blood draw. My wife told me, Frances sat down in one of the rooms at Sparrow West Labs off Saginaw where they churn through these things day after day.  

A tech jabbed her arm with a needle. They took a few vials of blood. Stopped the puncture mark with a cotton ball. Taped it up. Sent her home.  

I’m sure I violated HIPAA by sharing all of this with you, but I’m about ready to prove my point after I repeat what Frances owes for this less-than-10-minute procedure: $104 AFTER SOME $312 DISCOUNT? 

Actually, I’ll tell you another story. Then, I’ll make my point. 

Another hat I wear is that of durable power of attorney for my elderly mother who lives in a memory care home. She had an unfortunate health incident earlier this month. I’d tell you more, but she’s long forgotten about it. 

Anyway, the ambulance was called. They taxied her to Blodgett in Grand Rapids. Staff checked her out. She’s OK, thanks for asking. 

That eight-mile non-emergency ambulance trip? The initial bill was $1,193. Some magical “adjustment” saved her $624.19. Her incredible insurance saved her $557.21.  

The total she owed out of pocket? $11.85. An Uber would have cost more. 

I don’t have the bill for that three-hour hospital stay, yet. I’m guessing it’ll be similar to her previous ER visit from last October after another UTI-caused event. 

The labs, the CT scans, emergency room run, the Tylenol they gave her equaled out to $3,710. 

After they ran her Medicare Advantage insurance, the whole experience cost her $50.40. 

So, let’s add this up. Teenage daughter has routine blood work to make sure everything is A-OK: $104.  

Elderly mom falls out of bed. Suffers a nasty-looking black eye. Spends the morning in these ER after an ambulance ride. Total out-of-pocket costs: $62.25.  

Thanks to her Medicare plan through Blue Cross. 

Meanwhile, I’ve only been hobbling around on what I can best self-diagnose as Achilles tendinitis for the last three years. I’d get it checked out, but it’s still not worth draining the HSA over it. 

These are not extraordinary events, I know.  You probably have much better stories than me. 

Maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised to see the weekend’s EPIC-MRA poll showing 62% of Michigan voters support the idea  “Medicare for All.” 

Among younger people 18-34 — those still on their parents’ plans or wishing they were — it polls 84%. Among those 35-49, it’s up 66%-26%.  

You know who is less excited about Medicare for All?  

The people already on Medicare. Those 65 and older are 48%-45% on expanding their plan to everyone else. 

We’ve all been conditioned to see “Medicare for All” as some pie-in-sky concept. It’s something Bernie Bros and the like say to rattle young people. 

But now? 56% of Gen Xers, like myself, favor it. 

Call it socialism, communism, single-payer, whatever. Fact is our small business damn near lost our employer-based health insurance last year.  

Did you know we’re all paying twice as much on our health as a comparable European country — $14,775 per capita compared to $7,860, according to the Peterson Center on Health Care? 

Nobody on planet earth spends more on health than we do. Health spending ate up roughly 17% of our GDP, compared to about 11% in other wealthy countries. 

What are we getting for it? I’d ask my wife, but she’s busy. She’s literally in the other room right now, blowing her afternoon trying to get a live human on the phone to schedule a doctor’s visit. 

The frustration is boiling over. I sense she’s ready for something different. 

Apparently, 62% of Michigan voters are, too.