Should the United States move towards a single-payer health care system supported by the government
Health care reforms are one of the most debated reforms across the globe, especially regarding the provision of universally affordable care for all. The single-payer health care plan is one of the most debated health care reforms that is currently hitting headlines within the United States. There are various arguments for and against the proposed single-payer health care reform that promises the provision of equal and affordable care coverage to all citizens irrespective of their economic statuses by eliminating the existing multiple-payer plan, which has successively proved to be insufficient in addressing the health needs of the nation. With the implementation of the single-payer health plan bill, the government will be a better position to address three significant problems faced within the health care system, accessibility, quality, and cost of provision of health care.
The single-payer health care plan is a system in which a single public agency or quasi-public agency takes the sole responsibility for financing the health care needs for all residents of the united states. With the implementation of the plan, all citizens will be provided with an insurance cover under one insurance plan. The plan will also provide all citizens with equal access to all health care services such as hospitals, doctors, prescription drugs, vision care, long-term, care, and dentists. However, citizens have the freedom to choose where they receive the care they need (Zhou, 2018). The health financing goal of the provision of affordable health care for all is intended to be achieved through the combination of the financing, both private and public, for all health care services into, a single, state-administered payer.
The single-payer health care plan is intended to address several health care problems witness within the U.S system. The implementation of the plan will be the country’s most significant step towards enhancing equality in access to health care services, especially among citizens who lack insurance cover and those who are underinsured (Serafini, 2018). As witnessed in other developed countries with a successful single-payer health care plan, wasteful spending and overall expenses will be controlled efficiently through the use of administrative costs and cost control methods. Besides, a single-payer plan provides more incentive for the implementation of direct spending on healthcare that uses public health measures (Brown, 2019). For instance, with the single-payer system, the government will focus on targeting funds towards primary prevention programs and the primary level instead of paying patient visits to a doctor, a move which effective and cost-efficient in the management of various health issues faced in society.
According to a report by the Common Wealth Fund, in 2016, approximately 25% of the U.S working population who had employer-sponsored health care cover, experienced extreme out of –pocket costs and deductibles in regards to their level of income (Serafini, 2018). This limited them from gaining access to adequate insurance cover. Accordingly, a study conducted the Harvard University indicated that approximately 62% of bankruptcies experienced by U.S citizens are a result of heavy medical expenses that they incur. Additionally, as compared to other developed states in the world, the United States has the highest health care spending as a share of its GDP and in absolute terms (Goldman, 2019). The single-payer health care system has the promise of addressing the prevailing health care issues and minimizing government spending on its health care system if it is implemented effectively.
The single-payer system will enable the U.S to achieve universal health care objectives through its ability to provide universal coverage to all eligible citizens. With the system, all citizens who are members of the eligible population will have an insurance cover. Citizens will also obtain insurance at all times when seeking various medical services. Since the coverage will be continuous, no individual will lose their coverage or need to change their coverage due to income-earning capacity, family status, age, jobs, and state of residence (Glied et al., 2019). With these provisions, citizens, both with high and low-income levels will be able to gain access to medical cover indiscriminately and obtain care services from health facilities of their choice. As such, the country will attain its goal of providing universal medical cover.
According to Brown (2019), the goal of the single-payer system is to enhance equal access to care services. The plan provides citizens with a broad range of health benefits and zero out of pocket costs at the point of service. Therefore, there will be an increase in the level of access to quality care as most citizens are currently unable to afford high-quality care services due to high insurance rates, which they cannot afford. The plan also includes the provision of benefits such as dental, long-term services, and vision. Therefore, all citizens will have increased access to these services, which are mostly expensive (Goldman, 2019). The quality of care services will also increase as all costs are regulated by the government and doctors will not have to provide care services discriminately based on an individual’s ability to pay for the high costs of provision of care services.
Additionally, the single-payer systems enhance the government’s capacity to effectively implement the system-wide cost containment strategies, which work effectively in reducing the amount of government spending on health care provision (Serafini, 2018). The plan proposes the implementation of a government-run system, which will be used to manage the provider payment methods together with incentives that affect al, providers serving the insured citizens. If the government takes control over the financing of the health care system, the cost of provision of care will be regulated and consumers will not have to deal with issues relating to hidden services at the point of service. This makes the provision of care services cost-effective and affordable for all citizens (Zhou, 2018). Therefore, individuals who seek care services will no longer be treated consumers and instead as patients, in need of appropriate and effective care.
The proposed single-pay health care system promises the government an opportunity to provide all citizens with access to quality and affordable care at all times. The plan, which is a system consisting of a single or quasi agency taking the responsivity for financing all the health cover needs for residents of the united states will be controlled by the federal government instead of multiple players. With the effective implementation of the plan, all citizens will be able to gain access to a variety of care services, which are high quality and cost-effective as the federal government takes the responsibility of controlling overall health care expenses and wasteful spending. The single-payer system will also provide more incentive to direct spending on health care especially those that target public health care measures.
References
Zhou, Y. (2018). An Examination of the Single-Payer System: Giving a Number to Adjusting America’s Health Insurance Framework (Doctoral dissertation, Stern School of Business New York).
Glied, S., Black, M., Lauerman, W., & Snowden, S. (2019). Considering “single-payer” proposals in the US: lessons from abroad. Issue Brief (Commonw Fund), 2019, 1-10.
Brown, L. D. (2019). Single-Payer Health Care in the United States: Feasible Solution or Grand Illusion?. American Journal of Public Health, 109(11), 1506-1510.
Serafini, M. (2018). Why clinicians support single-payer—and who will win and lose. NEJM Catalyst, 4(1).
Goldman, R. (2019). A Possible Future for the US Health Care System. HEALTH.