Reply #21: No, No, No...The Swiss System Is Not Single Payer, Here Is NPR's Discussion [View All]

[TomCADem]

I think many single payer advocates would look at the Swiss system (see below) and freak out about "supplemental coverage." The bills being considered are essentially a move towards the Swiss system. This is why I wonder why we spend so much time talking about single payer, and not comparing the bills to the Swiss system.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92106731

Considerable Price Tag

Still, the coverage takes quite a bite out of the family budget. Rappaz keeps the bills in a three-ring binder. She pays 400 Swiss francs per month for her basic coverage; her employer contributes 60 francs toward that.

Under Swiss law, insurers may not make a profit on the basic plan, which is quite comprehensive. Individuals, however, can adjust their premium up or down by choosing a larger or smaller annual deductible, or by joining an HMO-type plan that requires them to choose a doctor in a network.

Since her husband, Bernard, rarely goes to the doctor, they have chosen a network plan for him; his monthly premium is only 298 francs. Children also cost less, so Anais and her brother Lucien's premiums for basic coverage are 89 francs each.

Where Swiss health insurers can and do make profits, however, is on supplemental coverage. This is for things like dentistry, alternative medicine (which is popular in Switzerland), and semiprivate or private hospital rooms. For 30 francs per month, Cecile and her husband have a supplementary policy that covers, "for example, all kinds of prevention, not-on-the-list medication, help at home, glasses, transport, alternative medicine. That's a good one," she says.

For another 105 francs each, they have another supplemental policy that guarantees them a semiprivate hospital room — and the possibility of a private, rather than a public hospital.

Edit to add: Canada and Switzerland have very different health care systems, and the bills being considered appear to borrow significant elements from the Swiss system.