Single Payer Healthcare

[Kevin]

One of the biggest oolicy points related to the midterms this year is single payer healthcare. Growing up in Canada, this was something I was always used to. Simply using my provincial government's healthcare plan whenever I needed to see a doctor and not thinking much else of it. I can't personally see it any other way.

Single payer in Canada works like this...


There is a government funded healthcare plan that pays for certain healthcare services. These services are private corporations (physicians start their own practice/private corporation) and bill this plan for their service. Hospitals are often private not-for-profit.

Should the US adopt a single payer healthcare system?

[Saddam]

would be nice but where's the money gong to come from? the government can't afford to sustain the free healthcare to the elderly and welfare recipients it already provides. i read somewhere that south africa and venezuela have free healthcare enshrined into law as a human right. how's that working out for them?

i live in the uk where healthcare is meant to be free at the point of use but the thing is creaking at the knees despite ever bigger sums of money being thrown at it. non stop inflation busting spending increases haven't kept up with people's demands on the service. this is fully down to the aging population with people who used to die at 70 now living until 85 and still expecting to retire at the same age, but this isn't something that gets discussed by politicians (old people vote). sometimes the odd right winger will mention cutting foreign aid or cutting support for unproductive immigrants but they wont go near the elephant in the room.

[W13]

In my opinion, healthcare should be a country's responsibility the way the military is. It's the most essential thing and one that you WILL need. I like the Canadian system and currently I'm in Indonesia where they use a hybrid system: a mandatory single-payer / government-managed / public insurance system along with hospitals/clinics offering private service to those paying cash or using 3rd party health insurance. It has its quirks and deficiencies but overall, it works.

I've had patients break down in tears and thank (the system) for saving their lives, because they know otherwise their only option would be death because they can't afford the life-saving treatment otherwise.