General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: "SINGLE PAYER" - The simplest solution! [View all]bornskeptic
(1,330 posts)That's not even counting out of pocket costs and Medigap premiums, and many Seniors on Medicare end up in Medicaid as well. The truth is that countries in Europe with mandatory insurance systems ( including Germany, Switzerland, Belgium and the Netherlands) don't have significantly higher costs per capita than the single payer countries in Europe (including the UK, Spain, Italy and Portugal). Japan, where most people other than the unemployed and Seniors are privately insured, has far lower per person costs than any of them. The problem of healthcare costs in the United States has very little to do with the insurance companies, and it can't be fixed by turning their business over to the government. It's a hugely complicated problem, which no simple little trick is going to solve.