Steven Corwin, MD, president and CEO of New York City-based NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, told Business Insider the U.S. must figure out a way to provide all citizens with insurance, but the popular "Medicare for All" may not be the answer.
Dr. Corwin noted hospitals and the healthcare industry at large do a lot of very "expensive things," and those costs really add up for patients. One way to bring down those costs is to focus on preventive care, which may eliminate some trips to the hospital in the first place. However, patients need insurance to receive that type of care.
"We have to have universal coverage," Dr. Corwin told the publication. "Let's forget the mechanism of getting universal coverage, but I think everybody's gotta be insured."
Democrats have recently begun to tout the benefits of Medicare for All, a form of universal coverage that would expand Medicare to all Americans.
While Dr. Corwin told Business Insider he does not support the movement, the idea of universal coverage would be much simpler for patients than the current system. He cited two major questions about the Medicare for All movement: the type of tax structure that would be necessary to support the initiative and whether the movement would be in the best interest of the U.S.
"I think we should have that debate," Dr. Corwin said.
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