SINGLE-PAYER HEALTH PLAN

Single-Payer Health Plan

Single-Payer Health Plan

Introduction

President Barack Obama promised a reform of the health system, but the option of single payer has been ruled out. A system of "single payer" involves removing the medium to private insurance companies: the government pays for coverage, but the provision of medical services continues to be entirely private. People still pick the doctor you want to be and go to the hospital of their choice (Leichter 2011, pp. 69). With a single payer, system reduces administrative costs and profits eliminated that insurance companies add to health services. However, almost single-payer solutions are not in the debate.

Discussion

ObamaCare is still deeply unpopular with the American people. According to the latest survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation, only 14% of citizens believe that the law benefits, compared with 17% who say the law has already harmed. Only 28% of Americans believe that ObamaCare will help the national economy, compared with 45% who think the worse (Belkin 2011, pp. 412). Overall, 48% of citizens oppose ObamaCare and only 43% support it. Some provisions of the law, as the individual mandate, are particularly unpopular with 67% of citizens who prefer their repeal (ibid).

President Barack Obama knows this, so he said at the White House during the visit of the National Governors Association that supports the idea of changing the date, that states can start applying for waivers for some of the mandates of ObamaCare from 2014 to 2017 (Leichter 2011, pp. 69). More specifically, the President was supporting legislation proposed by Sens. Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Scott Brown (R-MA), saying: "I give you flexibility more quickly while ensuring the American people that there is a reform" (ibid). President Obama is half right; the Wyden-Brown proposal would give states some flexibility, but only fair for the government seizes control ...