Exactly. I have a friend whose wife was stricken with a rare but very serious cancer. A newly developed drug treatment was available, and it was so new that Medicare had not yet prohibited it. Now with the recent Medicare annual renewal completed he has found that the most recent Medicare drug list does not allow payment for this drug.
My wife and I have now been on Medicare for the past 7 years. We are currently paying about $10,000 annually for this "free" health insurance. This payment does NOT include the fact that for the past 54 years I have also been paying Medicare premiums through payroll deductions, and, in fact, continue to make such payments since I am continuing to work. In comparison to Obamacare payments, this is a good price, but it is hardly free, and the service is terrible. The physicians, clinics, and hospitals are paid but a pittance in comparison with their normal rates, and it is quite difficult to find those that actually take new Medicare patients.
And that’s why Medicare for all will fail.
Medicare pays for skilled nursing care for 90 days and then you’re on your own.
Only the rich and poor are covered. The middle class takes it up the chin.
That’s what the NYT won’t tell its readers.