Last month, in a thoughtful op-ed for the online publication he formerly served as editor-in-chief for, Merrill Goozner argued that for healthcare reform to be ultimately successful, Medicare should evolve into both a universal safety net program, and a competitor to private health insurers.

Medicare, he asserted, should compete “with private insurers in every market and [become] the default insurer in markets where private insurers do not want to compete.”

Goozner also called for Medicare and Medicaid to completely transition to value-based reimbursement models, and for private insurers to manage provider groups.

“Scrap fee-for-service medicine in all government programs and move to universal capitated payments to provider groups managed by regulated private insurers,” he suggested. “Limit increases in a planned fashion over time so providers can minimize disruption while eliminating waste in the system.”

Read his suggestions here in Modern Healthcare.