1. Medicare is a nightmare of regulatory complexity. In order for hospitals or providers to be paid the small sum that medicare is willing to cough up, it requires a level of hoop-jumping unheard of in other countries with universal health coverage (including Canada, the UK and Germany).
Actually Medicare is simpler to deal with than hundreds of different insurance companies each with their own protocols. That is one of the primary reasons so many physicians prefer a Medicare type system or single-payer system for all - doctors will be able to spend more time treating patients than haggling with insurance companies.2. Medicare is inflexible. It is a large, centralized program run by the national government and therefore is cumbersome and out-of-touch with the needs of communities and individuals.
Single-payer like Medicare will just make the payments. You can still go to your own health provider. It is up to you to decide if your doctor is out-of-touch with your needs or those of your community. If so find another doctor.
Currently over 31% of every health care dollar goes to paperwork, overhead, CEO salaries, profits, etc. Because the U.S. does not have a unified system that serves everyone, and instead has thousands of different insurance plans, each with its own marketing, paperwork, enrollment, premiums, and rules and regulations, our insurance system is both extremely complex and fragmented.
The Medicare program operates with just 3% overhead, compared to 15% to 25% overhead at a typical HMO. Provincial single-payer plans in Canada have an overhead of about 1%.
It is not necessary to have a huge bureaucracy to decide who gets care and who doesn’t when everyone is covered and has the same comprehensive benefits. With a universal health care system we would be able to cut our bureaucratic burden in half and save over $300 billion annually.3. Medicare part A pays for inpatient and skilled nursing care at no additional fee. Part B, which covers doctors bills, medical supplies and services (like a trip in an ambulance) is not included in the cost of the social security that you have been paying in. It requires an additional monthly premium that may or may not be affordable to people depending on their financial circumstances and the increase in costs that might be seen if more people enroll and need coverage...particularly if it isn't mandatory and the healthy people who aren't using the services aren't paying premiums. Part D? So confusing that you need to speek to an actual medicare specialist to decipher....and I'm sure it is intentionally done like this!
Single Payer will be modeled up Medicare, however it will greatly improve upon it.
All medically necessary care would be funded through the single payer, including doctor visits, hospital care, prescriptions, mental health services, nursing home care, rehab, home care, eye care and dental care. We also advocate a sharp increase in public health funding.4. Medicare doesn't currently cover routine care, dental care, foot care, eyeglasses, most prescriptions (see Part D if you dare), and experimental treatments. That might not seem like a big deal unless you have a raging infection and your specialist wants to try an off-label use for a drug or a chemotherapy for cancer that is not yet past the experimental stages in America. It won't matter that the treatment is being used successfully in Europe, for example.
Once again All medically necessary care would be funded through the single payer, including doctor visits, hospital care, prescriptions, mental health services, nursing home care, rehab, home care, eye care and dental care. We also advocate a sharp increase in public health funding.5. Medicare isn't all-encompassing healthcare...it has both fee-for service and HMO coverage plans. Your choice affects how much you pay. Again...there are a lot of people who will think it is unfair that they can't afford the care their neighbor is getting.
All medically necessary care would be funded through the single payer.
Of course, the biggest change would be that everyone would have the same comprehensive health coverage, including all medical, hospital, eye care, dental care, long-term care, and mental health services. Currently, many people and businesses are paying huge premiums for insurance so full of gaps like co-payments, deductibles and uncovered services that it would be almost worthless if they were to have a serious illness.
A universal public system would be financed in the following way: The public funds already funneled to Medicare and Medicaid would be retained. The difference, or the gap between current public funding and what we would need for a universal health care system, would be financed by a payroll tax on employers (about 7%) and an income tax on individuals (about 2%). The payroll tax would replace all other employer expenses for employees’ health care, which would be eliminated. The income tax would take the place of all current insurance premiums, co-pays, deductibles, and other out-of-pocket payments. For the vast majority of people, a 2% income tax is less than what they now pay for insurance premiums and out-of-pocket payments such as co-pays and deductibles, particularly if a family member has a serious illness. It is also a fair and sustainable contribution.6. Many people with medicare also carry additional insurance coverage called supplemental coverage. There is a reason for that.
See response to #5 above. Thanks to Physicians for a National Health Plan for their FAQs.
http://www.pnhp.org/facts/singlepayer_faq.php#raise_taxes