A question RE: single-payer:

[damonm]

Perhaps I'm betraying ignorance, but so be it; if I am, I need to learn.

With a single-payer system, where is the incentive to keep costs down?

[Hieronymus]

1. As in Medicare, the administrative costs are a mere fraction of ...

what they are with private insurance.

[Hieronymus]

6. France has the best health care in the world .....

Paul V. Dutton
France's model healthcare system

By Paul V. Dutton | August 11, 2007

MANY advocates of a universal healthcare system in the United States look to Canada for their model. While the Canadian healthcare system has much to recommend it, there's another model that has been too long neglected. That is the healthcare system in France.

Although the French system faces many challenges, the World Health Organization rated it the best in the world in 2001 because of its universal coverage, responsive healthcare providers, patient and provider freedoms, and the health and longevity of the country's population. The United States ranked 37.

> more at: http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2007/08/11/frances_model_healthcare_system/

[FrenchieCat]

2. It is government paid. They wouldn't be interested in profit making

at our/its expense.

[damonm]

4. And if the Gov't is the only game in town,

suppliers, drug co's and the like will need to compete for the Government dollar - the light begins to dawn...

[lumberjack_jeff]

3. Because the insurer (us) wants costs low.

And the provider can't simply stop doing business with that insurer in favor of another because we are the "single payer".

If you're going to be in the medical delivery business, you must do business with the single payer.

[napi21]

5. It would be completely non-pofit. It's the duty to stockholders that

creates the increasing costs in the public sector HC. That, and of course hugh salaries for their execs.

Ed Schultz is talking about that on his show today. BCBS in ND Sr. executive got a 64% increase in his income over the last 2 years!

[avaistheone1]

7. One of the CEOs at United Health had an annual compensation package worth over

a Billion dollars a year. That is Billion with a capital "B". There is a giant sucking sound at the top of these health insurance companies greedily sucking big time dollars for themselves as they deny policy holders needed care. Well this is our opportunity to say to hell with them and provide something much better for all Americans.

[Hieronymus]

8. These are the people who lie about single payer ... any lie to preserve

that $Billion a year.
They give huge sums to our congress.

[Vinca]

9. The government would keep costs low the same way the insurance companies do.

The insurance companies cut deals with providers to only pay a percentage of the cost of a procedure. They keep costs low so profits are higher and then laugh all the way to the bank while people are dying around them. The government would keep costs low and funnel the money into more health care.

[grantcart]

10. the German system fixes contributions at 7% employee 7% employer

or 16% for self employed.

The revenue is fixed.

The providers are 300 non profits that compete for business. The larger the non profit I imagine the larger the CEO's pay is, but there is no shareholder equity and no dividends to pay.


But more importantly there is a moral imperative that is commonly held.


Any German can go to any doctor. you can see any specialist without going through a GP. The actual practitioners compete against each other and they are highy motivated to keep cost down to increase their profit, there is simply no for profit insurance agency to deny benefits.


This article is from a British analyst who compares how the German system at holding down costs.

http://www.civitas.org.uk/pubs/bb3Germany.php