A plan like Physicians for a National Health Program National Health Plan should be supported by whomever you vote for.
William Chirolas -- World News Trust
March 21, 2007 -- When told single-payer national health is not obviously the only solution, point out the facts.
I have been an actuary in life and health and pensions and investments and tax for more than 40 years, and except for this topic I have never seen a topic where the information all points to only one decision/one path -- namely to accept the path suggested -- only to find that most of the people in the room with the power to make the decision all refuse to go in that direction.
There are so many great studies out there, all pointing to the same conclusion, and indeed there are studies for every objection ever made to single-payer national health. Amazingly, there are nearly no studies supporting those that are fighting the idea, so they are reduced to slogans and selling myths and lies.
Perhaps the best source for links to all the studies is the web site produced by the Physicians for a National Health Program National Health Plan http://www.pnhp.org. After reading the information I am sure you will conclude that your Senator and Representative, if they are not supporting, loudly, single payer national health, then they are either too stupid to represent you, or too corrupt and in bed with the insurance companies to be your representatives. Below are some links (also available on the http://www.pnhp.org site, that refute every lie, every myth you have been told, and also give you the real research data. In the 2008 election, a plan like Physicians for a National Health Program National Health Plan should be supported by whomever you vote for.
Single-Payer National Health Insurance
Single-payer
national health insurance is a system in which a single public or
quasi-public agency organizes health financing, but delivery of care
remains largely private.
Currently, the U.S. health care system
is outrageously expensive, yet inadequate. Despite spending more than
twice as much as the rest of the industrialized nations ($7,129 per
person), the United States performs poorly in comparison on major
health indicators such as life expectancy, infant mortality and
immunization rates. Moreover, the other advanced nations provide
comprehensive coverage to their entire populations, while the United States
leaves 46 million persons completely uninsured and millions more inadequately
covered.
The reason we spend more and get less than the rest of
the world is because we have a patchwork system of for-profit payers.
Private insurers necessarily waste health dollars on things that have
nothing to do with care: overhead, underwriting, billing, sales and
marketing departments as well as huge profits and exorbitant executive
pay. Doctors and hospitals must maintain costly administrative staffs
to deal with the bureaucracy. Combined, this needless administration
consumes one-third (31 percent) of Americans’ health dollars.
Single-payer
financing is the only way to recapture this wasted money. The potential
savings on paperwork, more than $350 billion per year, are enough to
provide comprehensive coverage to everyone without paying any more than
we already do.
Under a single-payer system, all Americans would
be covered for all medically necessary services, including: doctor,
hospital, long-term care, mental health, dental, vision, prescription
drug, and medical supply costs. Patients would regain free choice of
doctor and hospital, and doctors would regain autonomy over patient
care.
Physicians would be paid fee-for-service according to a
negotiated formulary or receive salary from a hospital or nonprofit HMO
/ group practice. Hospitals would receive a global budget for operating
expenses. Health facilities and expensive equipment purchases would be
managed by regional health planning boards.
A single-payer
system would be financed by eliminating private insurers and
recapturing their administrative waste. Modest new taxes would replace
premiums and out-of-pocket payments currently paid by individuals and
business. Costs would be controlled though negotiated fees, global
budgeting and bulk purchasing.
The links below will lead you to more specific information on the details of single-payer:
Single-Payer Overviews
The Physicians Proposal for National Health Insurance
“Proposal of the Physicians’’ Working Group for Single-Payer National Health Insurance,” JAMA 290(6): Aug 30, 2003 http://www.pnhp.org/single_payer_resources/physicians_p...
Key Features of Single-Payer
A useful handout detailing the main features of single-payer. http://www.pnhp.org/facts/key_features_of_singlepayer.p...
Statement of Dr. Marcia Angell introducing the U.S. National Health Insurance Act
A great overview of the need for and logic of a single-payer system. Perfect as an introductory handout. http://www.pnhp.org/facts/dr_marcia_angell.php
Liberal Benefits, Conservative Spending
Another great introductory handout. http://www.pnhp.org/PDF_files/LiberalBenefitsConservati...
Public Citizen's Response to the Citizens' Health Care Working Groups Interim Recommendations
A great overview on the benefits of a single-payer system by Public Citizen. http://www.pnhp.org/single_payer_resources/public_citiz...
Rep. Dennis Kucinich Tackles Health Care
Rep. Kucinich talks with Truthdig about the health care crisis in America. http://www.pnhp.org/news/2006/november/rep_dennis_kucin...
Single Payer: Facts and Myths
Single Payer FAQ
A frequently-updated catalog of the most-asked questions about single-payer. http://www.pnhp.org/facts/singlepayer_faq.php
Myths as Barriers to Health Care Reform
A paper refuting many of the myths associated with single-payer. http://www.pnhp.org/single_payer_resources/myths_as_bar...
“Mythbusters” by the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation
A series of brief papers debunking the common misconceptions about the Canadian health system. http://www.pnhp.org/single_payer_resources/mythbusters_...
“Moral Hazard:” The Myth of the Need for Rationing
http://www.pnhp.org/single_payer_resources/moral_hazard...
Rasell, E “Cost Sharing in Health Insurance – A Reexamination,” New Eng J Med., 332(7) 1995
Roos, et al “Does Comprehensive Insurance Encourage Unnecessary Use?” Can. Med. Assoc. J 170(2) Jan. 20, 2004
Gladwell, M. “The Moral Hazard Myth,” New Yorker Aug. 29, 2005
Health Economics and Financing
Introduction:
How Much Would a Single-Payer System Cost? A review of government and
independent studies of the cost of single-payer system. http://www.pnhp.org/single_payer_resources/introduction...
Administrative
Waste Consumes 31 Percent of Health Spending - Woolhandler, et al
“Costs of Health Administration in the U.S. and Canada,” NEJM 349(8)
Sept. 21, 2003 http://www.pnhp.org/single_payer_resources/administrati...
Administrative Costs in U.S. Hospitals are More Than Double Canada’s
Woolhandler, et al “Administrative Costs in U.S. Hosptials,” NEJM 329, Aug. 5, 1993 http://www.pnhp.org/single_payer_resources/administrati...
60
Percent of Health Spending is Already Publicly Financed, Enough to
Cover Everyone =Woolhandler, et al. “Paying for National Health
Insurance – And Not Getting It,” Health Affairs 21(4); July / Aug. 2002
http://www.pnhp.org/single_payer_resources/60_percent_o...
A Proposal for Financing National Health Insurance
Rasell, Edith “An Equitable Way to Pay for Universal Coverage,” International Journal of Health Services. 29(1); 1999 http://www.pnhp.org/single_payer_resources/a_proposal_f...
"Liberal Benefits, Conservative Spending"
Grumbach, et al. JAMA, May 15, 1991, Vol. 265 No. 19 http://www.pnhp.org/publications/liberal_benefits_conse...
The Case Against For-Profit Care
Overview: The High Costs of For-Profit Care
Editorial
by David Himmelstein, MD and Steffie Woolhandler, MD in the Canadian
Medical Association Journal -For-Profit Hospitals Cost More and Have
Higher Death Rates http://www.pnhp.org/PDF_files/ForProfitCare.pdf
Devereaux, PJ “Payments at For-Profit and Non-Profit Hospitals,” Can. Med. Assoc. J., Jun 2004; 170 http://www.pnhp.org/single_payer_resources/forprofit_ho...
Devereaux, PJ “Mortality Rates of For-Profit and Non-Profit Hospitals,” Can. Med. Assoc. J, May 2002; 166
For-Profit Hospitals Cost More and Have Higher Administration Expenses
Himmelstein, et al “Costs of Care and Admin. At For-Profit and Other Hospitals in the U.S.” NEJM 336, 1997 http://www.pnhp.org/single_payer_resources/forprofit_ho...
For-Profit HMOs Provide Worse Quality Care -
Himmelstein, et al “Quality of Care at Investor-Owned vs. Not-for-Profit HMOs” JAMA 282(2); July 14, 1999 http://www.pnhp.org/single_payer_resources/forprofit_hm...
For-Profit Medicare Plans Cost 11 Percent More Than Traditional Medicare
MedPac Report, Jun 9, 2006 http://www.pnhp.org/single_payer_resources/forprofit_me...
Quality and Malpractice
Introduction: Medical Malpractice, Health Care Quality and Health Care Reform (pdf)
A Forum Report by Gordon Schiff, MD http://www.pnhp.org/reader/Section%205%20-%20Quality%20...
How Single-Payer Improves Health Care Quality (pdf)
A brief by PNHP (makes a great handout!) http://www.pnhp.org/facts/quality.pdf
A Better Quality Alternative: Single-Payer National Health Insurance -Schiff, et al
http://www.pnhp.org/single_payer_resources/a_better_qua...
“A Better Quality Alternative” JAMA, 272(10); Sept. 12 1994 http://www.pnhp.org/single_payer_resources/a_better_qua...
Comprehensive
Quality Improvement Requires Comprehensive Reform (pdf) -Schiff, et al
“You Can’t Leap a Chasm in Two Jumps,” Public Health Reports 116, Sept
/ Oct 2001 http://www.pnhp.org/reader/Section%205%20-%20Quality%20...
The Failures of Other Reform Options
Individual Mandates (The Massachusetts Plan) http://www.pnhp.org/single_payer_resources/individual_m...
Consumer Directed Health Care and Health Savings Accounts http://www.pnhp.org/single_payer_resources/consumer_dir...
Tax Credits for Private Insurance http://www.pnhp.org/single_payer_resources/tax_credits_...
Why HSAs Won't Cure What Ails U.S. Health Care http://www.cmwf.org/publications/publications_show.htm?...
Critique of Sen. Wyden's (OR) "Healthy Americans Act" http://www.pnhp.org/news/2006/december/lewin_group_anal...
Comparison between Schwarzenegger Health Plan and Single Payer for California http://www.pnhp.org/news/2007/january/comparison_betwee...
State Single-Payer Bills
Arizona
http://www.pnhp.org/PDF_files/AZSinglePayerBill.pdf
Colorado
http://www.pnhp.org/PDF_files/ColoradoSinglePayerBill.p...
International Health Systems
I. Canada
The Canadian Health System: Lessons for the United States
US General Accounting Office Report, June 1991 http://www.pnhp.org/single_payer_resources/the_canadian...
A
Survey of the Canadian Health System - Armstrong, et al “A Perfect
System?” excerpted from Universal Health Care, New York Press, 1998
http://www.pnhp.org/single_payer_resources/a_survey_of_...
A Survey of Studies Comparing the U.S. and Canada (pdf)
PNHP Brief, May 2006 http://www.pnhp.org/single_payer_resources/CAN_Comparis...
The Future of Health Care in Canada (pdf)
Report of the Romanow Commission http://www.pnhp.org/reader/Section%206%20-%20Canadian%2...
II. International Comparisons
The
U.S. spends more for less because of its fragmented financing system -
Anderson, G. et al, "It’s the Prices, Stupid: Why the United States is
so Different from Other Countries," Health Affairs 22(3), May/June 2004-http://www.pnhp.org/single_payer_resources/the_us_spend...
U.S.
Care Quality is No Better Than Other Countries -Hussey, P. et al "How
Does the Quality of Care Compare in Five Countries?" Health Affairs
23(3) May/June 2004 http://www.pnhp.org/single_payer_resources/us_care_qual...
Single-Payer Bibliography
A bibliography of single-payer studies and papers http://www.pnhp.org/reader/
***
William Chirolas brings 40 years of real-world business experience in
local, state, national, and international tax, pensions, and finance to
the world of blogging. A graduate of MIT, he calls the Boston area
home, except when visiting kids and grandkids. He can be reached at:
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