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Luna Flynn
Mr. Burchett
Honors Government 5
22 October 2015
Medicare
Health Care is a commonly debated issue in America. It is one of the most expensive
social programs, but it remains not completely satisfactory. In 1960 the average cost of Health
Care was $147 annually. This cost increased to $8,068 by 2009 (Snyder). Medicare, or a type
of health care insurance, only extends its benefits to people over the age of 65 or under the age of
65 with certain disabilities. However, Medicare could be a solution to the health care crisis in
America. Medicare can be a solution to the Health Care crisis by extending Medicare benefits
to Americans of all ages, abolishing the law that restricts the government from bartering for
prescription medication costs, and raising corporate tax for companies that earn more than a
billion dollars in net profit annually.
The average American who subscribes to Medicare pays anywhere from $104 to $1,260
per person, depending on the plan they choose according to Medicare.gov. This, as it stands
currently, is on the expensive side. There is also research showing that the more an individual
makes, the more health care provisions they get, and Patients in higher-spending regions
received approximately 60% more care (Fisher). This fact alone is contrary to what the Center
for Medicare and Medicaid Services says on distribution of care: the CMS doesn't exclude,
deny benefits to, or otherwise discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color, national
origin, disability, sex or age in admission to, participation in, or receipt of the services and
benefits under any of its programs and activities as patients in higher spending regions tend to

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be upper class white elite (Kochhar and Fry). By expanding Medicare to Americans of all ages,
health care insurance would become more accessible. Medicare costs must also come down;
there are a few small changes to make before this can happen.
In 2013, over $280 billion was spent on prescription drugs in 2013 (Injury Prevention &
Control: Prescription Drug Overdose). Part of the Medicare bill is a law that restricts the
government from bartering the price of these drugs (Pollack). Buying medication in bulk should
cost less than the price of a single pill. However, since the government cannot legally strike a
bargain, the cost of prescription drugs costs far more than it should. The government cannot
even regulate Health Care costs, the American Medical Association Specialty Society Relative
Value Scale Update Committee does. This law can also lead to some unfortunate cases of greed.
For instance, Shkreli of Turing Pharmaceuticals raised the price of the drug Daraprim from
$13.50 a pill to $750.00 a pill (Pollack). This would not have happened, had this law not existed.
Decreasing the cost of Medicare, and extending its benefits to all would be next step.
Perhaps the most controversial step to reducing the cost of Medicare would be a
corporate tax raise. A small 1% tax raise for only companies that make over a billion dollars in
net profit annually would have to be implemented. According to Fortune 500, 223 companies
make over a billion dollars in net profit annually. 1% of a billion is 10 million. If each of these
companies pays at least 10 million, depending on how many billions they make, that would be a
whopping 2.2 billion! This is enough to help pay for Medicare for all, and even cut individual
expenses. Currently, Health Care costs $700 billion dollars according to the Committee on the
Budget.
Some may say that by extending Medicare to all will increase the individual costs of
health insurance regardless of what other measures have been taken to lower it. Now this may be

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true, but in the long run America can more effectively pay for Medicare and health care
insurance, just as many other countries do around the world. For example, many European
countries spend less on health care, but receive better benefits (Kane). Unfortunately, in America,
No systematic program has been developed for monitoring the quality of medical care provided
to Medicare beneficiaries (Jencks). Another idea is that companies cannot be forced to bargain
for prices, especially not with the government; it is a free society and they should be allowed to
set their own prices with a sense of security. However, public health must come before corporate
greed. The cost of life saving prescription drugs cannot be forcibly overpriced by a company. If
lives are at stake, people should be able to buy curative drugs at the lowest price possible.
Corporations may resist a tax, especially with tax incentive and corporate greed that is common
in this country. Perhaps many of these large corporations will take their operations overseas.
Nevertheless, a new corporate tax is instrumental in making Medicare more affordable for all
Americans. Many of the largest companies can afford a menial tax.
In conclusion, the measures that must be taken to extend Medicare benefits to all
Americans are substantial, but necessary. Medicare is perhaps the most important social program
in the modern era. Allowing the government to negotiate prescription drug price and employing a
new corporate tax are just two beginning steps in the program.

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Works Cited
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Fisher, Elliott S., et al. "The implications of regional variations in Medicare spending. Part 1: the
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Jencks, Stephen F., et al. "Quality of medical care delivered to Medicare beneficiaries: a profile
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Kane, Jason. "Health Costs: How the U.S. Compares With Other Countries." PBS. N.p., 22 Oct.
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Whats Medicare?, 2015. Web. 26 Sept. 2015. <https://www.medicare.gov/Pubs/pdf/11306.pdf>.

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Works Consulted
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