Monday, January 25, 2016

Is It Too Late to Implement Single Payer Health Insurance in the USA

It seems to me that it is probably too late to implement single payer health insurance in the USA.

  • Because health care spending is now up to about 18% of GDP and...
  • Because the industry has gotten so big there are a lot of people working in the industry, to some extent they will fight single payer.
  • Because the industry has gotten so big the taxes to cover it  would have to big, and contrary to what Bernie says taxes are different from health insurance premiums. That is because if you quit paying your health insurance premiums you do not get the benefit but, if you work less or for less money and so no longer pay the taxes to cover your medical bills you are still covered in single payer (and people do that especially wives) and that expense is shifted to other tax payers.
  • You cannot shift consumption from the very rich to consumers of health care because the rich do not consume enough.
  • Of course you could cover everyone with what gov. spends today by cutting low benefit care but the AARP will have your head.

So IMHO it is too late!

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