The United States spends more per capita on healthcare than any other advanced sector nation, but our life expectancy is lower by 2 to 5 years than in other nations. Diane supports what was known as the 2017 HR 676, Medicare For All Act, with an added private option.
However, even though Medicare For All will drastically reduce overhead and administrative costs, it does not guarantee quality of care. In the last years, hospitals have been closing across the nation, and maternity wards have been closing down in rural areas. We need to establish a standard based on the original Hill-Burton standard of 4.5 hospital beds per 1000 population, which varies depending on whether your population is in a rural or urban setting.
A Sare presidency would establish and enforce necessary patient-to-staff ratios in our care facilities, including hospitals, rehabilitation centers, group homes, and senior citizens’ homes.
Mental health
Over the last 75 years, America has eliminated over 90% of our inpatient psychiatric beds. Every city in the United States is suffering a shortage of capacity to address problems of mental illness and drug addiction. We need to double the inpatient mental healthcare capacity immediately. American prisons are filled with people who have been failed by the inability to provide quality mental healthcare.
