What does the term “Single-Payer” mean?
Everyone has access to health care, from cradle to grave. Everyone in, no one out. Regardless of previous health status. Regardless of employment status or income or age or any other factor. It is your right as a U.S. resident.

What else has Single Payer been called?
Medicare for all. Canadian style health care.

How does Single-Payer differ from what others have called “Universal Health Care”?
Single- Payer is the only health care plan that is truly universal because it covers everyone, no exceptions for pre-existing conditions, loss or change of employment, no waiting periods, no doughnut holes, no out of pocket expenses, no year after year of empty promises of reform with tiny incremental changes while year after year the number of uninsured and underinsured grows ever larger.

How is the current non-system organized?
The health care insurance industry’s sole reason for existence is to make a profit for its owners, its stockholders. The best way to maximize profits is to provide as little actual health care as possible. Sell a product (health care) but deliver as little of it as possible. Insure only healthy people. Drop those who have chronic illnesses or develop catastrophic health problems. Use these profits for obscene executive salaries. Advertising. Administration. Lawyers. Clerks. Accountants. Denial experts. Stock dividends. Lobbyists. Campaign contributions. They call these expenses overhead.

How much does this overhead add up to?
Up to 30 per cent or more (change to.......31 percent or more) , which means that only 70 cents of every dollar spent for health insurance (change to......health care in the U.S.) is available for actual health care. With a Single- Payer system these (add the word......administrative) costs could actually be used for health care. The savings amount to about $630 billion per year (change to $350 billion) which is way more than enough to provide comprehensive health care for the 54 million uninsured (change to 47 million) and underinsured (change to tens of millions of underinsured).

Well, aren’t these overhead costs just the cost of doing business?
No. Medicare’s overhead is in the 1 to 2 per cent range. (change to 3-4 percent, compared to 15 to 25 percent at private insurers). This means that 98 cents on the dollar is available for health care (delete this sentence).

How do other countries deliver their health care?
U.S. stands alone among all modern industrialized nations in not having a system for providing health care for all of its citizens.

What do we actually pay for health care in the U.S.?
Up to twice as much as most of the rest of the industrialized world, approximately $7,129 per person per year.

Well it’s worth it. After all, we have the best health care system in the world don’t we?
No. We lag behind every other industrialized country in many health care outcomes such as infant mortality life expectancy, immunization rates, etc. For example, among 33 industrialized nations, the U.S. is tied at the bottom of the list with four other countries, ranking just ahead of number 33, Latvia. It is true that we have excellent doctors, hospitals and technology, but that doesn’t help those who do not have access to this care.

Well, don’t people without insurance get care in our emergency rooms and through Medicaid?
Yes, some do, but under circumstances that may delay, postpone or actually avoid care that is needed.

So what?
Study after study has shown that care that is delayed, is substandard or outright avoided results in suffering, disability and death. Not to mention the excess costs for care that is provided in emergency rooms, or by hospitalizations that could have been avoided by earlier diagnosis and care. Costs that all of us pay by increased taxes and increased premiums.

How would Single-Payer work?
A public agency would be created to organize health care financing, collecting money and paying the bills. Government is very good at these two tasks. The health care insurance industry would be eliminated as we currently know it. Insurance companies that currently intrude as a barrier between the patient and the doctor. Health care costs would be controlled by a process of negotiation with drug companies, hospitals, doctors and other providers creating a system that would be reasonable and fair to all.

Can we afford such a system?
Recapturing the overhead lost in the current “non-system” and making it available for actual health care would mean that we can afford comprehensive care for everyone. Drugs, dental, mental, doctors, hospitals, vision, long-term care, medical equipment, medical devices, etc.

Wouldn’t this be socialized medicine?
No. The government would not own the health care system. Just as the government does not own the health care system with Medicare. Doctors, hospitals, drug companies, etc. would all remain private and be owned as they are now. However, they would have to negotiate with the public agency for what they could charge for their products and services and if they choose to remain outside of the system they would be free to do so.

Would my doctor or hospital be assigned to me?
No. You would be free to choose any doctor or hospital or other service that you need.

Well, if it is that simple and that great, why don’t we already have such a system?
Good question. Maybe the best question yet. Lack of political will created in part by huge lobbying efforts and the expenditure of huge amounts of money to perpetuate the current dysfunctional medical-industrial complex and maintain power and profits at the expense of everyone else. Tradition. Inertia. Fear of change. Successful advertising and propaganda. Remember the “Harry and Louise” ads opposing the minimal efforts at reform proposed during the Clinton years?

How can I learn more?
Other websites that you can explore for more information are:

www.pnhp.org
MD PNHP (Maryland Physicians for a National Health Program)

www.SickoCure.org
SickoCure.org is dedicated to promoting the only cure for our " sicko" health system: single-payer national health insurance.

NY Times 12/31/06 article
Single Payer does work

What can I do to help?
Join us. Become more informed. Commit time, energy and yes some money to help our efforts to convince our legislators that the time has come for Single Payer reform. Don’t be passive, indifferent or give up hope. Remember the quote from Winston Churchill when he was asked early in WWII “Where are the Americans?”. He said: “You can always depend on Americans to do the right thing, after they have tried everything else first”. We have tried everything else. It is time to do the right thing and provide health care for everyone!