Why I’m finally ready to agree a single-payer healthcare system would be better for business

[church mouse guy]

So the federal government that cannot obtain honest prices in the defense of the nation will be able to micromanage healthcare for hundreds of millions of people?

Would you like to own the Brooklyn Bridge?

 

[InTheLight]

A good example is the way states could save money through negotiation with Drug companies.

States Could Save $73 Billion by Negotiating Medicare Drug Prices

States Could Save $73 Billion by Negotiating Medicare Drug Prices

State governments could save as much as $73 billion cumulatively over the next ten years if the federal government were to negotiate Medicare prescription drug prices, according to a new issue brief by the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR). As policy makers across the nation consider various state and federal budget options, they and the American public should be made aware of these significant potential savings.

Each state’s individual substantial savings are cataloged in “State Savings with an Efficient Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit.” The authors draw from a previous CEPR report that focuses on potential savings to the federal government if Medicare drug costs were negotiated.

I wish everybody would look at this sham of a study. The authors take the ratio of drug spending to total health care spending in Canada and applies that to the US. That is the low side of "savings". Then the authors take the ratio of drug spending to total health care spending in Denmark and applies that ratio to the US. That is the high side of "savings". Then the authors basically say, "Welp, we can do somewhere in between these two ratios with Medicare drug costs if we would only have states negotiate with pharmaceutical companies using their huge market share as leverage." In other words it's a number they pulled out of a hat.

BTW, $73 billion over 10 years is $7.3 billion per year, or about what we will pay to health insurance companies for cost sharing reduction payments in 2017.

Look at it another way, it's about $23 savings per US citizen per year.

 

[Baptist in Richmond]

The "32 trillion" number comes from an analysis done by a think-tank called "The Urban Institute" about an entirely different bill introduced by John Conyers; It's not about Sanders' bill at all.

The Current National Healthcare Expenditure in the USA is 3.4 trillion dollars per year. 3.4 x 10 = 34 trillion assuming no yearly increase (impossible), so 32 trillion over the next 10 years would actually save 2 trillion dollars. A trillion here and a trillion there soon adds up to serious money.

When Democrats are asked, "How would you pay for single payer?" the answer is usually some kind of payroll tax. A 9% payroll tax would be about equal to my current health insurance deduction, but there would be no deductible and maybe some price-control for prescriptions.

Ummmm.....
The Urban Institute was funded (at least in the past) by CIGNA and Pfizer. [ Urban Institute - SourceWatch ]

In 2016, there were NUMEROUS government agencies listed as donors, four of which donated $1,000,000 or more.
[ https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/2016-annual-report-092217.pdf ]

I think we all agree that there is a healthcare crisis in this country, and in many ways it was a fire stoked by the ACA. I am perpetually amazed at how many people honestly believe that the ACA provides healthcare, which the reality is that it simply mandates very expensive insurance.

A single-payer system is not the answer.

Regards, hope all is well,
BiR