SNL did a great job of handling the Medicare-for-All topic and humorously tackling possible funding ideas. It was an enjoyable comedy sketch that I believe aired this past weekend, and it had some funny moments in it with Mrs. Warren as the candidate who takes on the tough subject. It was great for some laughs, but also is a real reminder of the financial side of the policy idea. I think once the talk moves to financing it does become somewhat worrisome to imagine the government having an ever bigger hand in the pot. It's very easy to imagine it all getting botched up under federal government control.

I have heard of situations under the current system where there are already serious problems. For example, Medicaid will only reimburse a very small amount for ambulance rides so the ambulance company is forced to pay a ridiculously low wage to the paramedics. You can see how this would lead to staffing shortages and not enough available ambulances to meet public demand, a lower quality of care. Under Medicare-for-all do you increase the reimbursement rates? If so, by how much? How does this get paid for? This is just one tiny example among a myriad number of standards that would have to be set. Having a plan such as this implemented would require such a HUGE leap of faith in our federal government. Who has that faith?

On the Republican side I read this as a description of Trump's effect "The piecemeal attacks on the ACA have made many people nervous about the future of their health coverage, Gluck says. "The most important theme of [Trump's] administration of the ACA has been to sow uncertainty into the market and destabilize the insurance pool," she says. I also understand premiums have gone up on silver insurance packages. The premiums don't go down. Has ANYONE seen their insurance premium go down under Trump's plan?

So what is the reasonable answer to all of this once and for all? Why do Americans have to live with uncertainty with regard to our healthcare? When does it stop? Where is the right balance?