Among the giant taboos afflicting Congress these days is the proposal to create a single payer health insurance system (often called full Medicare for everyone).
How can this be? Don’t the elected politicians represent the people? Don’t they always have their finger to the wind?
Well, single payer is only supported by a majority of the American people, physicians and nurses. They like the idea of public funding and private delivery. They like the free choice of doctors and hospitals that many are now denied by the HMOs…..and there’s more….
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You can also use AARP’s Glossary about what’s going to happen to who and how. Believe me, no matter what your politics, trust these wise and understanding folks….oh, and since I found out the average age of a U.S. Senator is 112 now, do forward this information to them 🙂
Universal health insurance: The goal of ensuring that every American has access to health coverage, regardless of the specific system used to achieve it.
Group health insurance: The traditional system in which employers or unions offer subsidized private insurance to employees or members and their dependents at discounted group rates.
Individual health insurance: Private policies purchased by individuals or families who do not have access to group insurance. Applicants may be denied coverage or have to pay more because of age, gender or preexisting medical conditions.
Public health insurance: These include Medicare (for older or disabled people), Medicaid (for the poor), SCHIP (for children), the Veterans Affairs health system and some state programs. Care is subsidized by federal or state governments or both.
Single payer: A centralized system used by several Western nations in which the government pays for every resident’s health care as a basic social service, funded out of taxes.
Socialized medicine: A single-payer system in which the government owns and runs health care facilities and pays salaries to doctors. (In the U.S., only the VA health care program would fit into this category.)
You can also see more discussion about health care reform at these two great AARP articles:
Stealth Magnolia 