Sorry, Republicans, but most people support single-payer health care

[DonViejo]

By Catherine Rampell Opinion writer April 17 at 7:31 PM

Despite the rise of the tea party and unified Republican control of government, one decidedly anti-free-market idea appears ascendant: single-payer health care.

And it’s no wonder, given that a record-high share of the population receives government-provided health insurance. As a country, we’ve long since acquiesced to the idea that Uncle Sam should give insurance to the elderly, veterans, people with disabilities, poor adults, poor kids, pregnant women and the lower middle class.

Many Americans are asking: Why not the rest of us, too?

A recent survey from the Economist/YouGov found that a majority of Americans support “expanding Medicare to provide health insurance to every American.” Similarly, a poll from Morning Consult/Politico showed that a plurality of voters support “a single payer health care system, where all Americans would get their health insurance from one government plan.”

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/sorry-republicans-but-most-people-support-single-payer-health-care/2017/04/17/f0919bb6-23a6-11e7-bb9d-8cd6118e1409_story.html?utm_term=.68199319fbaf&wpisrc=nl_headlines&wpmm=1

[greymattermom]

1. Under single payer

rich folks could probably buy supplemental insurance, and that could be as fancy as they want. It would be like medicare supplement plans. Insurance companies would probably like it.

[HoneyBadger]

2. Rich people do not need health insurance generally

I see it all the time with Park Avenue doctors. People that can afford it, choose doctors with lots of credentials, empty waiting rooms, and high prices.

[OldSchoolLiberal]

4. Rich people

Rich people in UK, Australia, Canada and Europe get this option and they are happy. I don't get why rich people in America think they will be unhappy with single payer.

[OldSchoolLiberal]

3. Why should America be any different?

People like single payer because they see it working in the UK, Australia, Canada and Europe. Why should America be any different?

[Hortensis]

5. Medicare overhead runs from a base between 1-2%

to around 6% when insurance company overhead for parts C and D is considered.

Private insurance overhead, including profits, runs from a low of around 12% for policies for companies with thousands of employees to 30% for those purchased by individuals. Admin costs are premium dollars that don't go to patient care.

Medicare for all, or something similar, just makes such good sense. Extremely strong opposition from conservative citizens meant it wasn't really an option before. But the ACA has made people aware that we could do far, far better than what we had before.

Now with failed attempts to "repeal and replace," perhaps single payer will benefit from growing realization on both right and left that the ACA, with a cap of 20% allowed to go to overhead/profit, is about as good as non-single-payer can get.