Single Payer, Public Option, Blah, Blah... Do People Even Understand Our Current Healthcare System?

[TomCADem]

I have read posts and listened to reporters complain about how all the healthcare proposals are complicated. However, here is my take: The reason why people have difficulty understanding the need for reform is that they do not really understand their current system AND the media has spent very little time on the current system. For example:

1. Rationing - The current system already has insurance company driven rationing.
2. Will it come out of my paycheck? Employer provided care already comes out of our paychecks.
3. No government run healthcare! Medicare is a government run healthcare plan and it is very popular.
4. It is too expensive! Our current system is #1 in percentage of GDP and per capita costs.
5. It will increase the deficit! The current system is already threatening to explode the deficit.

These complaints about reform do not so much suggest that people don't understand the proposals for reform. Rather, they reflect a lack of understanding about our current healthcare system. Maybe more emphasis should be on explaining the current system, because you really can't understand where you are going unless you know where you have been.