4/10/2026 at 2:50:37 AM
Mexico already has “universal healthcare.” The public hospitals are so bad and chaotic that most people who can afford to pay private insurance so they can go to private hospitals.The article doesn't state explicitly, but I guess this new decree changes the qualifying rules. For example, that even if you have private insurance, you can still access public healthcare facilities.
I don't see how this is going to work unless they also improve the resources to the public facilities.
by quinncom
4/10/2026 at 4:11:33 AM
Without knowing much this seems kind of reasonable? Some baseline of care but not enough that most people will opt it.If I could make universal healthcare in the US it would be something like: - free generic meds where there are at least 3 independent low cost providers. - free ai diagnostic tools - tax breaks on healthcare spending - catastrophic insurance @ fixed prices for various diseases (eg if you get colon cancer you get $30,000 for treatments. Basically whatever the low end of reasonable is, to invent you to price shop etc.). These numbers should keep being adjusted down over time as people get more efficient at treating. - maybe up to $400 per year on various preventative tests.
And remove most other regulations on healthcare (including banning employer insurance).
If the government provided this, the cost for private healthcare would plummet. People would have free access to diagnostic and drugs better than anything you had 20 years ago (2006). Which is pretty incredible!
by mchusma
4/10/2026 at 6:02:08 AM
> if you get colon cancer you get $30,000 for treatmentsAnd… what if its not enough?
But yeah, extreme inefficiency and inflated costs due to poor regulation seems like the main issue in the US.
It’s not however obvious that less regulation would solve that, i.e. you have countries like Switzerland or the Netherlands with entirely privatised healthcare (more so than in the US) yet they have quite strict regulation and price controls and are doing just fine.
by wasfgwp
4/10/2026 at 8:24:39 AM
It's not really entirely privatized if there are price controls. And at least in Switzerland, healthcare price inflation is a big topic like everywhere.https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/health-systems/expert-warns-swi...
https://www.swiss-medtech.ch/en/news/cost-control-initiative
But Swiss pharma price controls are not very populist. We basically use the communist approach of stealing prices from less regulated markets. The FOPH looks at international prices in "comparable markets" to help decide what the Swiss prices should be. Not sure which markets are comparable but surely the US is one. So if prices go up in less regulated markets, they go up here too.
There is still a lot of waste and healthcare costs too much. It is high quality but I am often impressed by how much low hanging fruit there is to save money apparently without harming the quality of care delivered.
by mike_hearn
4/10/2026 at 5:29:01 AM
Why not just do Medicare For All?by nielsbot
4/10/2026 at 5:59:46 AM
> Medicare For AllNobody who relies on Medicare would say that. The people who say it want a fantasy Medicare that doesn't exist.
https://www.medicare.gov/providers-services/original-medicar...
Some of the items and services Medicare doesn’t cover include:
Eye exams (for prescription eyeglasses)
Long-term care
Cosmetic surgery
Massage therapy
Routine physical exams
Hearing aids and exams for fitting them
Most dental care: In most cases, Original Medicare doesn't cover dental services like routine cleanings, filings, tooth extractions, or items like dentures.by msla
4/10/2026 at 6:48:14 AM
I rely on Medicare as a disabled person. I love it. The reduction in stress I experienced when I got to transition from my former employer plan to Medicare is pretty indescribable. I want every American to have at least this as a baseline.Most of the complaints around Medicare come from those who get sold (conned) on takin Medicare “Advantage”, which is a privatized option for Medicare that denies a lot of coverage.
by erentz
4/10/2026 at 6:28:14 AM
Just as a data point, depending on a country of course, the European public healthcare systems don't cover some/most/any of these either.For example the eye exams for glasses are usually done at the store where you buy the glasses and included in the price, dental might be covered only for children, routine physical exams may not exist as a concept, etc.
by distances
4/10/2026 at 9:33:01 AM
My bad. I used that as a stand in for a single payer system like Medicare. Good idea, yes? Or do you object to that?BTW There can still be a for-profit, premium health insurance market alongside. if you’re rich spend as much as you want on healthcare.
by nielsbot