General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Are some on DU hoping Single Payer Health care fails? [View all]genxlib
(5,524 posts)I support Single Payer. I just don't think we can get there right now and the backlash from the effort will do more harm than good.
What I see as more viable is to pitch Medicare as an optional buy-in for the ACA to provide competition or support in underserved areas.
This would stabilize the ACA while giving Medicare a chance to expand its offerings to all ages. If it performs well, it will attract more and more patients and swell in popularity.
The next step beyond that would be to offer Medicare in policy groups so that businesses can offer it.
If it succeeds, there would be gradual transition to the desired outcome.
This gradual approach is the only way I see it working. The most obvious reason is that the transition would be largely voluntary as Medicare proved superior. The less obvious reason is that this becomes a way to utilize the current funding mechanism of employer based premiums to support the cost. If we try to do it all with taxes, people are going to freak. All of those premiums paid by companies and employers need to be transitioned into the system to keep the cost workable.