Why would anybody oppose single payer ?

[Wiregrass Willie]

What is Single Payer?

Doctors would have three options for payment: fee-for-service, salaried positions in hospitals, and salaried positions within group practices or HMOs. Fees would be negotiated between a representative of the fee-for-service practitioners (such as the state medical society) and a state payment board. In most cases, government would serve as administrator, not employer.

The program would be federally financed and administered by a single public insurer at the state or regional level. Premiums, copayments, and deductibles would be eliminated. Employers would pay a 7.0 percent payroll tax and employees would pay 2.0 percent, essentially converting premium payments to a health care payroll tax. 90 to 95 percent of people would pay less overall for health care. Financing includes a $2 per pack cigarette tax.

http://www.pnhp.org/facts/what_is_single_payer.php

[silverweb]

1. They're stupid?

That's the only thing I can come up with.

:shrug:

[librechik]

2. as I heard a brilliant genius on Alex Bennett say "That means YOU PAY!"

like one guy has to pay for everybody's health care. That is HUGE!

What an idiot. His taxes would increase by about 30 dollars a year to pay for EVERYBODY's health. Too burdensome, I guess.

[evlbstrd]

4. I'll pay that

rather than the $600 per month in premiums I currently pay.

[Yael]

10. Me too -- even if it means

that I never use the system but 2 times a year. If my 3.3% (or whatever) goes to pay for someone's meds or a child that needs help -- I will pay it and thank God I had the opportunity to do so.

[evlbstrd]

13. I just checked a pay stub.

My health insurance premium is more than twice my Federal Income Tax witholding, ~$265 v. ~$110. More than triple my Social Security witholding at ~$86. My Medicare is $20.

edit: That's one check. I get two checks per month.

[dysfunctional press]

3. because they're in the insurance industry/lobby...

and it would mean the end of their paycheck.

btw- if they're going to include a $2/pack tax on cigs- shouldn't they also apply a hefty tax on alcohol and fatty foods?

[BOSSHOG]

5. because limbaugh and hannity tell them to!

All the independent conservative thinkers in America who tune into their instructors everyday to be instructed how to think will do and think whatever they are told to. What a gig. And limbaugh and hannity are poorly educated. Wow. Lie, hate, cut off offending callers, rely on millions of ignorant trash citizens. What a way to make millions. If you have no moral compass or integrity or values.

[applegrove]

6. I was in hospital for a while last summer. In Canada. There were an awful

lot of fancy, fancy cars in the parking lot (which I assume belong to doctors). Seems like the salaried hospital doctors fair pretty well under a single payer system.

[fed-up]

7. when I passed out flyers for a local rally a few months ago only person to say no worked for BCBS nt

[Tesha]

8. Because they make a ton of money the way things are? (NT)

(Money that comes from us, BTW.)

[Yael]

9. I had this conversation at lunch today with a few peers

One a nominal Dem, the other rather liberal, but not educated on the single-payer concept. Both thought it was socialized medicine. When I explained the difference (that in s-p, the Docs don't work for the government) and gave examples (like canada/Australia vs the UK), they just gave me blank stares.

Right off one made a crack about the DMV running the system and the other chined in with FEMA's performance after Katrina and the fact that it is taking over 6 months to get a passport issued.

I am guessing that the bottom line is that while people who hear about this think it is a good idea, the concern of the government making it a huge monster is the issue.

After this happened, I opened a new domain today and will work on documenting the merits of single-payer. They (and a few right-wingers) in our company are interested in subscribibg so that they can learn more about it all.

All we can do is educate, answer the questions we can and research those we can't.

[MonkeyFunk]

11. Because conservatives have spent 30+ years

convincing Americans that government doesn't work, and they've done everything in their power to make that true.

[ProgressiveEconomist]

12. Healthcare 'entrepreneurs' would lose lucrative strangleholds around millions of necks

and have to go find real jobs.

[Truth2Tell]

14. Because Mark Penn is their pollster?

:shrug: