The Health Insurance Game: Why the health system is broken
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What would single payer cost you each year?
What Single-Payer Advocates Stand For
The U.S. spends about twice as much on health care per person compared to all other developed countries. Yet our life expectancy is lower, our infant mortality higher, and our overall health poorer. More than 45,000 Americans die each year because they lack health insurance. Currently, 31% of every healthcare dollar is spent on costs that have nothing to do with health care. We strongly believe that it is morally wrong to allow other Americans to suffer or die because they cannot afford to pay for health care.
Single payer, an improved "Medicare for All", is publicly funded and privately delivered health care. It is a system in which a single public or quasi-public agency organizes health financing, but delivery of care remains largely private. This is similar to how Medicare works in this country. Doctors are in private practice and are paid from government funds. Patients are free to choose their health care practitioner, hospital or clinic.
Everything can be done more efficiently and at less cost without for-profit health insurance companies. Over 90% of Americans would pay far less with a single payer system. Estimates on savings range from $350 billion to $400 billion per year. That's more than enough to provide comprehensive health care to everyone without paying any more into health care than we already do.
Medicare Pays for More than Health Care for the Elderly. It pays for
1. The sickest Americans: the elderly and the disabled
2. Most medical residencies
3. Most durable equipment for many hospitals
For-profit health insurance companies do NOT pay for any of this.
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Health Care For All - Texas
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Healthcare Reform Updates
Commonwealth Fund: August Issue Brief: U.S. continues to greatly outspend other industrialized
nations (without for-profit health insurers) but medical outcomes are the worst, near worst
or only slightly better than a few other nations. Read the report here.
Wendell Potter expects a massive PR compaign funded by the for-profit health insurance industry
to privatize Medicare when Rep. Ryan's budget proposal is introduced. Ryan's GOP proposal
balances the budget in part by changing Medicare to a "voucher" program.
The Commonwealth Fund found Medicare Advantage plans cost more but don't deliver.
Harold Meyerson's argues that the social insurance programs created in the 20th century increase economic activity. Read his Commentary.
Follow the Speaker
HCFAT members will present on single-payer to your organization.
On May 14, 2010, Health Care for All Texas participated in a debate, "Is Health Care a Right?", sponsored by the Benjamin Rush Society, a conservative medical student organization promoting free market solutions to our health care crisis. Read the opening and closing remarks made by our two single payer panelists, Leonard Zwelling, MD, MBA and Christine Adams, PhD.
In Texas, 1 in 4 people are uninsured and almost 1 in 3 adults between the ages of 19 and 64 are uninsured. Less than 33% of small businesses offer health insurance. Fewer than half of all Texans get their insurance through an employer
Health insurance companies operating Texas must justify their premium rates to the Texas Department of Insurance, which also handles complaints from consumers about health insurance plans. If you have questions about the fairness of your health insurance premiums, contact the Texas Deptartment of Insurance. Here are the definitions for "justified complaints."
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In Dire Health explains why health insurance companies are not essential.