I really do not like anything about single-payer healthcare. The idea that a centralized government bureau will be able to run this efficiently beggars belief - just look at the Veteran's Administration for an example. Whenever it has been implemented, costs have gone up and quality of care has gone down - there is no financial incentive to do anything else.
The state of Vermont just dodged the bullet on this - from the Boston Globe:
Costs derail Vermont’s dream of a single-payer health plan
For decades, liberal activists yearned for a European-style, single-payer health system that they argued would lead to more affordable, efficient, and comprehensive medical coverage for all citizens. When Vermont four years ago enacted a landmark bill to establish the nation’s first single-payer health care system, they saw their long-sought dream about to be fulfilled.
But reality hit last month. Governor Peter Shumlin released a financial report that showed the cost of the program would nearly double the size of the state’s budget in the first year alone and require large tax increases for residents and businesses. Shumlin, a Democrat and long-time single-payer advocate, said he would not seek funding for the law, effectively tabling the program called Green Mountain Care.
I really feel sorry for these activists - they are so wrapped up in their narrative that they can not see the numbers for what they are. They are innumerate. The are so eager to do what sounds good as opposed to what does good.
One person's comment - a perfect example of being trapped in a narrative:
“The idea of single-payer, or a Medicare-for-all type program, has always been a cherished dream for many in the Democratic Party,” said Henry J. Aaron, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, a liberal-leaning Washington think tank. “In truth, there had never been a hard, developed plan to implement such a dream. In Vermont, they finally developed a plan, and look what happened.”
Living in a bubble will do this to you.
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