Medicare for All

By David Palmer

In a 1992 presidential debate, President George Bush famously admitted that he did not know the price of a gallon of milk. Most Americans can probably tell the price of a gallon of milk, but most Americans probably cannot tell you the actual price of a hospital visit.

Because the majority of Americans are insured, the cost of a visit to the doctor is typically paid, at least in part, by the insurance company. The shadows that hide the price of medical care have allowed costs to grow like a fungus. The problem is not only that hospital-visit prices are not controlled by a traditional market, but also that the prices are hidden from customers, who often have no reasonable alternative.  It’s time we shed a little light on the price of health care and trimmed the lurking costs.

Take, for example, the gallon of milk. If the price of milk suddenly jumped to $20, most people would probably stop buying milk (or protest in outrage.) But what if someone in your family needed the calcium in milk to survive? And what if you didn’t find out about the jump in price until after you had already bought it?

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Every social movement has an anthem. Civil rights marchers sang “We Shall Overcome”, suffragettes sang “Shoulder to Shoulder”, and the labor movement has “Solidarity Forever”. Until now, the single payer movement has lacked a theme song to unite its members. Here at Public Citizen, I’d like you to help us choose one. I’ve listed my top 10 songs for single payer. Leave us your suggestions in the Comments section below.

10.  “Blue Sky Mining” by Midnight Oil

Eighties music fans will probably remember these Australian political rockers. They made a poignant plea for separating healthcare from employment by asking, “If the Blue Sky Mining company won’t come to my rescue? And if the sugar refining company won’t save me? Then who’s going to save me?” If we had single payer, we wouldn’t rely on companies to “save us” from medical bankruptcies by providing health insurance. Everyone would be covered. No questions asked.

9.  “Fight the Power” by Public Enemy

This anthem against the entrenched interests opposing positive change rings even more true today. Almost twenty-five years after its initial release, the song still explodes with energy from the get go. The anger expressed by those who have been left behind is palpable. When Chuck D says “Give us want we want/Give us what we need”. We know what he is referring to. The most basic of all human rights: health care.

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To celebrate Medicare’s anniversary, I thought I would share my top 10 reasons, out of literally thousands of others, to support a single-payer health care system:

10.  Under single-payer, say goodbye to medical bankruptcies in the United States.

According to Physicians for a National Health Program and U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), more than 62 percent of the more than 2.2 million personal bankruptcies in the United States are due to medical expenses.

This problem does not just touch those with health insurance.  Many of those who need to file for bankruptcy due to medical costs had health insurance coverage. Single-payer health care would provide health care for all and ensure that no one goes bankrupt due to illness.

This video explains the problem and the solution very well.

9.  If it’s good enough for the royal baby, George Alexander Louis, it’s good enough for the United States.

Here’s my previous blog on this topic.

8.  Single-payer would cover everyone.

I believe health care is a right – not a privilege reserved for the wealthy. Regardless of how much you have in your wallet, you would have access to doctors and hospitals under a single-payer system. In the wealthiest nation in the history of humanity, it is the least we can do.

7.  If members of Congress tried to shut down the government to defund single-payer, they would be defunding health care coverage for themselves and their families.

Unless members of Congress and their families participate directly in a particular health care system, they can hold it hostage for political gain. Case in point: 60 members of Congress recently sent a letter to their leadership requesting that House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) shut down the government if the administration doesn’t “defund” Obamacare. If those representatives and their families received their health care through a single-payer system, they would be less inclined to defund it.

6.  It works well in other countries.

 Dozens of other industrialized countries can’t all be wrong. Their people live longer, their child mortality rate is lower and they have unrestricted access to maternity care. This is an example of where we could learn something from studying how other countries provide health care.

5.  Transitioning to a single-payer system would save billions of dollars.

If the United States was able to move away from its private health insurance system, we could save more than $400 billion a year in administrative costs. Further savings could be obtained by adopting European-style drug pricing and provider payments. More

Kate Middleton’s closely watched pregnancy revealed many of the benefits of Britain’s single-payer health care system. While the Duchess of Cambridge’s maternity care was exceptional given her stature, it turns out the United Kingdom’s health care system is one to be coveted by pregnant women whether their baby is royal or not.

Prenatal and birthing care is provided for free in the United Kingdom to all “mothers-to-be,” irrespective of their financial situation. This universal maternal health coverage surely contributes to the UK’s low infant mortality rate of 4.91 deaths per 1,000 live births. (The United States trails dismally behind with an infant mortality rate of 6.81 deaths per 1,000 live births.)

Not only are the UK’s health outcomes for infants better, but they produce these results at a fraction of the cost of health care spending in the United States. The UK spends 9.6 percent of its GDP on health care, versus the 17.6 percent we spend in the United States. Health care spending in the UK is $3,433 per capita, but a whopping $8,233 per capita in the United States. Finally, the average out-of-pocket health care costs for citizens in the UK is $306, while it’s $970 in the United States. The UK holds costs down even with a greater portion of its population over 65 than the United States (16.5 percent vs. 13.1 percent).

How can the United Kingdom achieve better health outcomes with lower health care costs while covering a larger percentage of its population?  Through its single-payer system, which cuts out the middle man of private health insurance.

The UK does not waste billions of dollars on administrative costs and CEO bonuses that are a standard part of the employer-sponsored private health insurance system in the United States. With the government as the only intermediary between providers and patients, enormous efficiency gains are achieved. So, as the newest heir to the British throne celebrates their first few days on earth, let’s be grateful that they have highlighted the benefits of a simpler health care system that the United States would be wise to emulate.

Dave Sterrett is the health care counsel for Public Citizen’s Congress Watch division.

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