Single-Payer Is Feasible
Letter to the Editor
The Washington Post
December 28, 2006
The Dec. 13 editorial “Inequality and Health Care” was right on the mark in its diagnosis of America’s health-care problem.
Your continued dismissal of a single-payer solution as “politically infeasible” is less persuasive. Media misrepresentation may give the impression of infeasibility. Yet Medicare is a single-payer system, and it’s enormously popular and economical.
A Dec. 1 Washington in Brief item reported that a study has found that “private health-care plans for the elderly cost the U.S. government $5.2 billion more last year than traditional Medicare coverage.”
Besides, Medicare covers the expensive populations — the elderly and disabled — leaving the young and healthy to the insurance companies, which still decline to make coverage affordable to middle-income families.
It would seem, therefore, that Medicare for All would be a more economical way to provide affordable health care to everyone than would subsidizing private insurance coverage.
Mary Von Euler
Bethesda
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/27/AR2006122701496.html
The Dec. 13 Washington Post editorial, “Inequality and Health Care:”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/12/AR2006121201436.html
Comment:
By Don McCanne, MD
The significance of the publication of this letter and the editorial on which it is based cannot be understated. Although very subtle, the national dialogue on reform has changed.
In their editorial, The Washington Post stated, “switching to an entirely tax-financed system (euphemistically known as ‘single-payer’) may be politically infeasible at this point.” Please note that “…may be politically infeasible…” is a far different position from “…is not politically feasible…” It is a clear acknowledgment that the lack of political feasibility is no longer an absolute given.
The fact that they published a letter in response that expands on this point is further confirmation that The Washington Post believes that single payer has a legitimate position in our national dialogue on reform.
That’s a giant step forward. An honest debate of all policy options should be the primary determinant of political feasibility.