( CNN ) -- On this date , July 30 , nearly a half-century ago , the United States achieved a major victory . Medicare , the nation 's first national health insurance program , was born . As part of President Lyndon Johnson 's Great Society , Medicare extended health coverage to seniors who inevitably needed care . It 's been a well-accepted success and highlights the benefits of improving health care access . But despite Monday 's cautiously optimistic report on Medicare 's solvency , a sustainable and comprehensive health care system requires covering everybody . Expanding Medicare for all is the fairest , most effective and straightforward way to ensure universal coverage in America . With Medicare , seniors have greater access to care . Yet most people deal with an overly complex system that fails to provide the same benefits our seniors receive . Even after the passage of Obamacare , unacceptable burdens remain . Consider the health coverage of women . Today women consume the most health care services . They have greater annual health care expenses than men and pay a greater proportion of their health care costs out-of-pocket . The Kaiser Family Foundation reports that about one in five women is still uninsured . More than half these women struggle with their medical bills . The story is even worse for low-income women , who are more likely to forgo treatment because of its cost . About 4 million low-income women can cover only themselves and are unable to receive financial support to purchase insurance for their families . Women make up two-thirds of the low wage workforce -- and only 23 % of low-wage jobs provide employer-sponsored health insurance . Obamacare was supposed to help . But 3 million low-income and minority women live in states that have yet to expand Medicaid , leaving them unable to obtain Obamacare 's coverage for our most vulnerable families , which was promised in the law . To be sure , Obamacare does offer greater protections and support for working women to obtain basic insurance . But with the fluctuating and often excessive premiums , deductibles and co-pays , these bills remain onerous . Accesses to in-network physicians remain restricted . Women , like so many working Americans , are getting nickel-and-dimed , unable to afford and access comprehensive medical coverage . Our health plans continue to be held hostage by private carriers who must spend on hefty overhead and marketing to guarantee ever-growing profits for their shareholders . To make matters worse , the courts have further restricted the availability of comprehensive coverage . With the U.S. Supreme Court 's ruling in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores Inc. , which gave companies the ability to withhold benefits based on religious grounds , women may lose coverage for basic birth control and reproductive health needs . It 's unconscionable that in the richest nation on Earth , health disparities linger because ordinary people ca n't obtain good care . Working families continue to wrestle with pocketbook-busting medical expenses and tussle with companies that get in between them and their physician . It does n't have to be this way . We could provide hassle-free health care to both men and women just as we do for everyone over 65 . By opening Medicare to everyone , we could secure universal coverage and run a more efficient and just system . Medicare is far from perfect , but the flexible program stands strong . By expanding it , we can better pay for quality care and bargain with hospitals , drug companies and device firms on behalf of everyday people . All Americans could obtain quality care from any physician . And similar to how they do it in most wealthy nations , the government will reimburse the provider or company for that care . Businesses could focus on staying competitive rather than haggling with insurance companies over costly health plans for their workers . We can fund the plan by preserving how we pay for health care and asking our very well-off to contribute a little more . The government would levy a small increase in payroll taxes on employers -- who would no longer have to pay health plan premiums -- and also issue a small tax on stock and bond transactions . A single-payer health care system built off Medicare would guarantee universal coverage and far better health outcomes . To that end , Michigan 's U.S. Rep. John Conyers , a Democrat , has again introduced his Medicare-For-All proposal . U.S. Rep. Jim McDermott , D-Washington , and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders , I-Vermont , have introduced a similar version . Outside our nation 's capital , Vermont is working to implement universal coverage for its residents next year , aiming to serve as a model for the rest of the nation . As Sanders said , `` The United States is the only major nation in the industrialized world that does not guarantee health care as a right to its people . '' What America is doing on health care is n't working for either men or women . If we want to join the rest of the industrialized world , we must increase eligibility to the widely popular program , Medicare , which celebrates its 49th anniversary on Wednesday . The nation deserves a system that values wellness above profits , and progress over inertia and false starts .
Vijay Das : Nearly 50 years old , Medicare has been a success and has improved health care . He says we should extend Medicare health coverage to assure quality care for all . Comment: Report optimistic on Medicare ' solvency : It 's efficient and just way for universal care . Das : U.S. only major nation in industrialized world that does n't guarantee right of health care .