The public isn’t convinced about a single-payer system

December 18, 2006

Politicians will have their work cut out for them to convince some of the public about adopting single-payer system:

Also, a major problem being overlooked or ignored by universal health-care proponents is patients aren’t likely to curb their drug costs and doctor visits if health care is free; thus, total costs will be several times what they are now.

Finally, like Social Security, any government benefit eventually is taken as a “right” by the public, meaning it’s nearly impossible politically to remove or curtail it later on when costs get out of control.

Considering all this, who honestly thinks universal health care is the right answer?

More single-payer dissent:

An ABC News poll out last month shows the public is still unwilling to accept those trade-offs in order to achieve universal coverage, even though 56 percent of respondents generally support the idea. Trade-offs such as rationing of care; fewer choices in doctors, treatments and prescriptions; and increased waiting times are features of government-controlled health care systems in other countries that are not supported by most Americans.

The new Congress is right to make health care a top priority, but it must be careful to balance their personal agendas with the desires of the people.



Related posts:

  1. Single-payer: Is the ivory tower this naive?
  2. Americans won’t buy single-payer
  3. Single payer to fix malpractice?
  4. Single payer ills, part 2
  5. Single-payer in Sweden: A cautionary tale
  6. Single payer: The assault continues
  7. Single-payer: Will Americans go for the Prius?


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{ 1 comment }

1 The Independent Urologist December 19, 2006 at 11:07 am

All the “trade-off’s mentioned in the post “Trade-offs such as rationing of care; fewer choices in doctors, treatments and prescriptions;. . .” already happen today, even with good insurance. The public’s ambiguious feelings regarding national, single payor health care come from well funded and well organized smear tactics that have been around since the 1910’s. Anyone who is on the fence just needs to look at their own personal situation to figure out the answer.

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