Single-Payer Comparison to Current System
How Single-Payer Benefits You and Your Family
| Current: Complex with 3 Types of Bureaucracy |
Future: Non-Profit Single-Payer: Simple, Efficient |
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Many Payers: - Over 1300 for-profit health insurance companies - Multiple federal government programs, including programs that directly or indirectly benefit for-profit health insurance companies – Fifty states with their programs |
Single-Payer: - One non-profit, public agency - Accountable to the people - Insulated from the U.S. and state legislatures |
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Health care restrictions – Specific physicians and specific hospitals, such as a patient within an HMO (lack of competition) – Restricted by cost if “out of network” – Restrictions due to pre-existing conditions – Lack of care due to cost and/or lack of insurance Learn more: - Rationing of care in the Unites States: now and with single-payer - Wait Times |
Health care choices – Select physicians and medical facilities – Selection based on performance (the best kind of competition) – Show national health insurance card, get care This is not socialized medicine. Physicians will continue to have their private practices, but their billing activity will be dramatically simplified. They will be able to spend more of their time focused on giving high quality care to patients. Their costs will drop, such as costs for billing and for medical malpractice. |
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Choice of for-profit health insurance plans out of thousands – which plan(s) for the upcoming year? – for how much money? – with a constant wonder about the impact of the topic of health insurance and long-term care insurance on the life of you or a loved one(s) |
Lifestyle choices: (freedom!) - which profession - which employer or job position - flexibility of taking leave of absence or early retirement in order to take care of the needs of a relative or friend |
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Health care for some. |
Health care for all with dignity. |
Complex with Many Costs: – Tax on earned income (current Medicare tax of 1.45%) – Tax on businesses payroll (current Medicare tax of 1.45%) – Health insurance premiums – Co-pays – Deductibles – Percentage not covered by insurance – Health care bills after the lifetime limit is exceeded Added costs for those burdened by medical expenses: – Credit card interest – Interest on loans to pay medical debts – Medical malpractice premiums that are unnecessarily high due to the component of health care for the remainder of the patient’s life Costs via the government spending of our tax dollars: – Incentives to health insurance companies – Reduction of taxes for employers who provide health insurance to their employees – The medical component of: …. Workers compensation programs in all 50 states …. Medicaid programs in all 50 states …. Auto insurance health insurance component: seen as “coordinated medical benefits” (does not apply to all states) This list is not necessarily complete for describing the complexity. – Also see: “What Single-Payer Eliminates” |
Simple with Minimal Costs: – No more payment of health insurance premiums!! – No more major medical bills! In fact, there will be little or nothing in the way of medical bills! – Tax on earned income (Medicare for All tax of 4.75%) – Tax on businesses payroll (Medicare for All tax of 4.75%) – See Costs and Savings for more: the cost details and large savings per family, per single person and per family. See how a family will pay less than half of what is paid today for health care coverage that includes ALL medically-necessary services. Some will realize an even greater percent of savings (and amount of savings) if they are self-employed and/or have only a very small group of employees. Results of simplicity: – Physicians send bills to the single-payer – Single-payer makes equitable payments promptly with minimal paperwork – Dramatically lower costs, such as prescription drugs – Lower average cost per business – One risk pool: society providing health as a public good, as well as other public services already being provided as a public good |
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Financial and emotional stress for many |
Peace of mind for all |
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Varying degree of (unknown) benefits – Variations among thousands of plans – Details of coverage are often unknown until the doctor or hospital calls the insurance company to see if a specific medical test or procedure is covered |
All medically-necessary care: – From pre-natal to the end of life – With no need for the doctor or hospital or you to call to ask for the permission to give care or for the cost of care – With coverage obtained with national health insurance card See “What Single-Payer Provides” for coverage |
Very poor efficiency. – About 69% estimated efficiency – About 31% spent on administrative functions Managed, influenced, and/or operated by many: – Over 1300 private insurance companies – Multiple federal government programs – Fifty states with their programs – Influence of lobbyists who oppose single-payer – Large billing departments in hospitals – Large billing staff in physicians’ offices – Friends who organize fund-raising events Also see “Current Condition” and its U.S. Health Care Financing |
Excellent efficiency. – About 95% or higher estimated efficiency Managed by one public agency: — With regions being the same geographic locations as today’s ten Medicare regions Results of single-payer: Dramatic reductions in private and government bureaucracy |
Summary About Non-Profit Single-Payer Financing:
* Simpler, more efficient
* No for-profit health insurance company bureaucracy
* Less government bureaucracy
* Result: more benefits at a lower cost!
* The largest step the U.S. can take
to achieve quality affordable health care
Further reading
See: We are Definitely Not Getting Our Money’s Worth!
Get tips about how you can view other proposals that are not non-profit single-payer national health insurance
Read more about: “One non-profit, public agency, which is accountable to the people and insulated from the U.S. legislature.” …
“Health Care Meltdown* by Robert H. LeBow, MD, which is revised and updated by C. Rocky White, MD. for the 2007 edition; p. 271.