Can someone explain why everyone is fussing out over Single Payer Health Care

[loyalkydem]

I know that Ed Shultz is a big fan of it but why is it such a polorzing issue?

Single-payer health care is a term used in the United States to describe the payment of doctors, hospitals, and other health care providers from a single fund. It is often mentioned as one way to deliver universal health care. The administrator of the fund is usually the government, but may be privately subcontracted similar to Medicare, the existing US system that is nearly a single-payer. Australia's Medicare, Canada's Medicare, and healthcare in Taiwan are examples of single-payer universal health care systems.

What excatly does this mean? Can someone elaborate on this?

[Warpy]

1. It's only polarizing because they've successfully lied to Republicans

and Congress is more concerned with protecting the corporations than it is with protecting the American people.

[phantom power]

2. That description is pretty good...

The basic idea is that the federal govt would pay for all medical care. There would either be no more private health insurance companies, or (more likely) they would become a niche business, where people could purchase private insurance to cover "luxury" health care that wasn't covered by the fed.

That is, as I understand it, the basic system that Canadians have.

[RaleighNCDUer]

3. It's soshulism! And next comes communism! And then they'll

take away our guns!

[mike_c]

4. not much to elaborate on beyond what you've already stated...

...except the essential point that government run single-payer universal health care would cover all Americans and would be run as a non-profit enterprise. That last, plus the economic clout of a single payer system, would dramatically reduce the cost of health care delivery, and coincidentally ruin the business of blood-sucking insurance company leeches and their share-holders. Good riddance, IMO.

Of course, the moneyed interests and lobbyists OWN Congress these days, so despite the popularity of single payer universal health care, Congress mostly opposes it. They dance to the tune their real masters call, for the most part.

[Captain Hilts]

5. It's the most 'liberal' healthcare alternative and should not have been taken off the negotiating

table.

[pkdu]

6. Here's how I see it...

There are 3 "parties" involved in todays setup.

1. You - the one who needs insurance , and if necessary , treatment.
2. The Medical Insurance Provider(s) - who you (and/or your employer) pay large sums in case you need treatment
3. The Medical Services Provider(s) - who get paid by "2" above if treatment is given

Single Payer would (should) replace "2" with Government insurance for "1" AND reimbursement to "3"

Who has a problem with that?...."2"...big-time.


Why is cheaper?...look at the cost-savings Medicare/Medicaid get from driving drug costs down as just one example then extrapolate that across the whole medical services provision range.

Cheers
p

[bkkyosemite]

7. And hopefully as Dennis Kucinich has stated would also cover all dental, vision and prescriptions

all 100%