Yes, it is a single payer system. How solvent is Medicare? Medicare does not cover all the expenses either. You still have costs involved. Look at the financial burden for Medicare. Now imagine everyone on the same plan. I'd still like to see full competition between companies, across state lines. Use the same model as Auto Insurance. Remember the premium you pay for Medicare is only a portion of the cost of providing you with Medicare Health Insurance. This is not going to be an easy problem to solve. However I do know one thing. Let the Government take total control and things will not get better. Once established in a Government Program its here forever.

Just look at the poor service record of the US post office, formerly a government monopoly. Thank God for UPS and FedEx!

There is competition across insurance companies for Medicare. That is why some plans offer above what normal medicare covers at zero premium. Thus in theory you are correct I.E. supply and demand. However this country has allowed monopoly to be an accepted practice thus given the opportunity the insurance companies will form cartels and not compete. The government will have to be involved one way or another. An aside I averaged $20000/yr for two for medical expenses for ten years before medicare. I think it's the best thing since tab top beer cans.

I am in TV health system and can see a doctor or PA whenever I need to .....might be at a different Care Center but since here I have had no issues getting same day appointment when needed. Competition is good.

Likewise...

Both my wife and I have had no trouble getting same day appointments with Villages Health. Some times with our PCP, sometimes with another doc' or an NP.

When my wife had some recurring issues she would get a same day appointment with an NP but her PCP would come into the appointment too.

Single Payer Health Care
 

I am the original poster of this subject. As expected--lots of pros and cons coming in. Keep them coming--as it is a learning experience for all of us.

I have one question for you to ponder OP,
can you give me the name of one large government program
that is run in a cost effective and efficient manner?

So what is the real premium for Medicare? Total cost? I understand based on income you pay a different premium but what is the Total Premium?

Our health care system has so many problems that adding this idea would probably cause it to collapse. There are many other things that need to get fixed first.

1. Tort reform is such a huge issue and cost drag on health care. And yes there are those that will claim it's cost it very little and that is so not true. Most doctors and Nurses spend 50% of there time documenting what they do to protect them against law suits. Requirement for needed health documentation? Less then 10% of their time. Add another 40% because of our legal system. Then add on the settlement costs.

2. User paper work for insurance reimbursement. I just can't believe how difficult that has become. I honestly believe they make it as convoluted and esoteric as possible to limit payments. It could be so simple, but they have made it so hard I give up lots of money due because it is so hard to recover.

3. Federal approval of new drugs and procedures. Cost adds on such a significant amount to our drug cost. Just check the price any US drug vs the exact same drug from another country. Anywhere from 100 to 400 times more expensive here. That is just crazy.

There are so many more easy to solve problems, but fix just these 3 and health care cost would be cut in half.

Single payer does nothing to solve these issues and just creates another ballooning government program to continue to drive up the cost. Today more people work in administering health care then work actually doing health care. That would just increase that problem.

And is one more step to socialism. We need to go in the exact opposite direction.

I lean toward your ideas but imagine this headline and the back lash that would follow: "Congress repeals Medicare. Goes to a full open Market System".

Many years ago I asked my family Doctor about his insurance costs. There was a debate then in Congress about Health Care costs. His practice was a group of 4 doctors and not affiliated with any healthcare group. His response was: "We have to see 300 patients per month total between all the Doctors just to cover the Malpractice Insurance Premium for the Business". This was not counting the staff, building, equipment, supplies, and their salaries.

I also hear you on the medical coding. Its meant to confuse. I remember when you went to the doctor, got out your check book, paid him, then sent the bill to the Insurance for your reimbursement of the cost. No big medical financial firm processing claims. Now its so complicated doctors employ a dedicated person just to interface with the business processing the claim. Or its sent to some outfit located far away with hundreds of people that do nothing but process insurance claims. Coded, denied, then re-coded, again, and again. What a waste of time and money. Not to mention by the time you get an invoice you can't even remember what it was all about in the first place.

I was one of the lucky ones. I had Medical Insurance through my employer until Medicare. Even after that they provided a secondary Insurance and Drug program. However after last year they put us into an Advantage Plan. Now the costs charged to Medicare is unavailable. They bill Medicare and I have no idea what they bill them for and how much. Medicare just says contact them for details. The advantage plan provides nothing about who paid what. You get what the Doctor charged, what the plan paid, and what you may owe. NO room for fraud there.

For majority of seniors in 2018 will be $134/mo. You are correct it is tied to income. Easy enough to look up.

I know there are many opinions both ways on single payer healthcare. Some talk about competition working, well with all the merging of health insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, and drug stores where is the competition coming from? We are rapidly moving to a single payer system, just a privately run one. I would like to know how much money would be saved if we got rid of all the huge corporations and their corporate staff that are in healthcare insurance companies? I believe we should have a two-tiered system where everyone pays a nominal fee and is covered for catastrophic illnesses with a second tier for those that are willing to pay more and have a higher level of coverage. Today if you are sick you go to the ER, tell them you do not have insurance and they help you with all of us paying the costs. The two-tiered system should be a single payer run by a government-owned private corporation like the Federal Reserve Banking System. That system is self-governing, has plenty of oversight, and is not controlled by the Federal government. Right now the drug and insurance companies set the prices and we just have to pay.

From a Canadian ...
I love our health care system and have had no problems at all finding a doctor or seeing a doctor.
I've received the very best health care including two knee replacements.

My brother lived in Canada and had the very best health care with no problems. He passed from a gioblstoma brain tumor and had the finest care and hospice care before he passed.

If you have never lived in Canada and needed health care you have no right to put the health care down.

Every month I get a shot in the eye for wet macular - I have just returned from a Christmas cruise where I was fortunate to meet one of the foremost Retina specialists in Canada, he is just across the border from Detroit. I have the best insurance you can buy and yet my eye shot is Avastin at $50 a shot, the Canadian specialist uses Lucentis which costs $1,800 per shot and the Canadian Govt. allows it under their health care!

It is one of my pet peeves that people sound off about something they know nothing about.

And replace it with a huge government bureaucracy? Basically figure on triple the administrative costs.