It is really that simple...

[pbmus]

_---------------------------------------------

Prescription drug costs negotiated by largest purchaser, government
Premiums based on income, paid to government like Medicare

[BigmanPigman]

1. That's the problem. It makes too much sense and is too easy to understand.

They can't fool as many Americans and rake in money from lobbyists if we comprehend too much.

[Caliman73]

2. I agree with single payer healthcare but want to discuss, so I am playing devil's advocate here.

As I said in the title of my response, I agree with and support single payer systems. The concept is simple, I think that the implementation is a little more complicated though.

That said:

Taxes and payments are incentives. What do you think the consequences, both intended and unintended might be in structuring the system in this way?

What would be "affordable"? What would the tax structure be?

What defines a "business"? Can a person be an individual and a business and be taxed twice?

Would reimbursement rates be standard, or would they be based in cost of living in the area?

These are some of the questions on the surface that pop out at me. I know that we have a model in Medicare and the VA, but we are talking about serving 320 million people as opposed to 57 million.

[ProfessorPlum]

3. go study any of the dozens of other 1st world countries

they all have different version of single payer. We could adopt any of them, or a blend of all of them, and be way better off than we are now.

[pbmus]

4. Thank you for your very good questions.

If you structure payments fairly (based on income) which should have been done in the beginning of Medicare with negotiated prescription drug costs instead of the hodgepodge very unfair way we have now, then reimbursements will be a combination of standard and cost of living adjustments with stipends paid to rural doctors and hospitals and nursing.

Income is based on total income, not individual or business, taxed once.

As you said, The models are there...we can improve on what we have.

[uponit7771]

5. Why isn't there single payer for people with Pre Existing Conditions ?!!? Makes more sense than to

... send them to HCI monsters.

[Leith]

6. It's So Simple That

even rethugs can understand it. Their only question is where are the millions to pay insurance company CEOs?

[pbmus]

7. Yeppers, another couple thousand people living on food stamps..