Republicans oppose expanding government healthcare programs like the Affordable Care Act and Medicare-for-all proposals due to ideological and financial reasons. Sections of the private healthcare industry also oppose changes that would increase government involvement and reduce their role. Supporters argue that such proposals could increase access to coverage, while opponents argue it would increase government spending and taxes.

1. Politics of Opposition
Watch this week’s videos and read the assignments in preparation for this
discussion.Republicans have been undermining the ACA and oppose various Medicare-for-
all proposals. In addition to party politics and differences, sections of the healthcare
industry oppose certain changes in the Medicare-for-all options.Using 500-750 words, write
an initial post that describes the political alliances and positions by party and in the
industry. In your analysis, include the financial arguments and the political/ideological
arguments about the role of government versus the private sector changes that are
intended to increase coverage. You must reference the KFF comparison of
proposals. VideosHarvard School Public Health Lectures: Register for the free Harvard
course, United States Health Policy. Follow the links to register and enroll as a student for
this course. Select “View Archived Course.” Scroll down to see a list of sessions and topics
listed under each session. Open Session 2.1: Medicare Parts A and B. Watch the videos in
Topics 1–5 under Session 2.1. Open Session 2.2: Medicare Parts C and D. Watch the videos
in Topics 1–6 under Session 2.2. Required Resources Rudowitz, P. (2019). Medicaid
Financing: The Basics Retrieved from http://files.kff.org/attachment/Issue-Brief-Medicaid-
Financing-The-Basics KFF. (2019). Comparison of Medicare-for-all and Public Plan
Proposals Retrieved from https://www.kff.org/interactive/compare-medicare-for-all-
public-plan-proposals/ Marshall, A., (2018). Unnecessary Medical Care: More Common
Than You Might Imagine Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/sections/health-
shots/2018/02/01/582216198/unnecessary-medical-care-more-common-than-you-
might-imagine Rand Health Care. Small Ideas for Saving Big Health Care Dollars Retrieved
from https://www.rand.org/health-care/projects/small-ideas.html Faster Cures et al,
(2018). A Closer Look at Alternative Payments Retrieved from
https://www.fastercures.org/assets/Uploads/PDF/VC-Brief-
AlternativePaymentModels.pdf Mitre Corporation, (2017). Alternative Payment Model
Framework Retrieved from http://hcp-lan.org/workproducts/apm-refresh-whitepaper-
final.pdf McConnell, J., Charlesworth, C., Meath, T., George, R., and Kim, H., (2018).
Overview of Research on ACO Performance Retrieved from
https://www.naacos.com/overview-of-research-on-aco-performance Recommended
Resources New York Times series on healthcare costs in the United States: These are all
really interesting articles related to costs on colonoscopies, pregnancy, joint replacements,
prescriptions, ER visits, dermatology, diabetes, and vaccines. Read at least one of these
articles. Here is the link to the first in the series. Use the dropdown menu to the right of the

2. article title to choose from other parts of the series: Rosenthal, E. (2013). The $2.7 trillion
medical bill: Colonoscopies explain why U.S. leads the world in health expenditures.
Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/02/health/colonoscopies-explain-why-
us-leads-the-world-in-health-expenditures.html Kaiser Family Foundation. (2012). Health
care costs: Primer. Retrieved from http://kff.org/health-costs/issue-brief/health-care-
costs-a-primer/ Gawande, A. (2015). Overkill. Retrieved from
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/05/11/overkill-atul-gawande Sawyer, B., &
Cox, C. (2016, November 30). Despite lower rates of access barriers for some groups, health
costs remain a concern for many Americans [Web log post]. Retrieved from
http://www.healthsystemtracker.org/2016/11/despite-lower-rates-of-access-barriers-for-
some-groups-health-costs-remain-a-concern-for-many-americans/ Cassidy, A. (2015).
Bundled payments for care improvement initiative. Health Affairs. Retrieved from
http://www.healthaffairs.org/healthpolicybriefs/brief.php?brief_id=148