Humana CEO Reverses Course, Opposes Medicare for All

Humana CEO Bruce Broussard reversed his previous support for Medicare for All and said his company does not support a single-payer, government-run healthcare plan, according to a report released Sunday.

The Humana chief executive reportedly took aim at Medicare for All, saying at an earnings call recently that,“Humana does not support any bill that would eliminate Medicare Advantage or make private insurance illegal.”

Although many health insurance companies have signaled that they oppose Medicare for All, in April, Broussard refused to join in the healthcare industry’s opposition to Medicare for All.

Further, at Barclay’s Healthcare conference in March, Broussard said Medicare for All amounted to a “great opportunity for the industry to be able to expand the population that it’s coordinating with.”

Broussard’s opposition to Medicare for All arises as UnitedHealthcare CEO Dave Wichmann said in April that Medicare for All would have a “severe” impact on the economy, jobs, and would not obtain its goal of increasing healthcare access to all Americans.

Wichmann said the Democrats’ many Medicare for All proposals would amount to a “wholesale disruption of American health care.

“The options are clear between a government-sponsored or government-run system and the one we have to offer,” Wichmann said, adding that Medicare for All’s cost would “surely have a severe impact on the economy and jobs — all without fundamentally increasing access to care.”

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) said in an analysis last week that a transition to Medicare could become “complicated, challenging,” and potentially disruptive. The non-partisan government agency also suggested that lawmakers need to consider “what would happen to workers in the health insurance industry if private insurance was banned entirely or its role was limited.”

Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), who authored a popular House Medicare for All bill, admitted recently that one million health insurance workers could get “displaced” under Medicare for All.