Solutions with Henry Blodget It’s Time for Medicare for All
Nov 10, 2025
In this discussion, Dr. Stephanie Woolhandler, a distinguished professor at Hunter College and founder of Physicians for a National Health Program, tackles the urgent need for Medicare for All. She explains how the U.S. healthcare system is failing, driven by profit-seeking motives that drive up costs and restrict access. Woolhandler outlines how single-payer can simplify the coverage model and reduce waste, while debunking myths about private insurance's role and exploring why past reform efforts stalled. Her insights reveal a path forward amid rising public frustration.
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Profit Drives Poor U.S. Outcomes
- The U.S. health system fails on cost and outcomes, costing more and delivering shorter life expectancy than peer nations.
- Stephanie Woolhandler traces this to profit-seeking and fragmentation versus universal systems used elsewhere.
Market Logic Broke Health Care
- The major shift began circa 1980 with market-oriented policies that invited profit into health care.
- Woolhandler argues health care can't be run like consumer goods because needs aren't increased by consumption.
Administrative Waste Is Massive
- Profit payouts and massive administrative bureaucracies siphon enormous funds from care.
- Woolhandler estimates almost $800 billion annually wasted on excess administrative costs versus a single-payer model.