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> Ha! This is first time I've heard someone try to explain single-payer healthcare as an example of capitalism. Well single payer isn't Capitalism, it's Social
by John23832 10y ago
> Ha! This is first time I've heard someone try to explain single-payer healthcare as an example of capitalism.
Well single payer isn't Capitalism, it's Socialism. I wasn't trying to represent it as Capitalism. In (this form) Capitalism, if one buyer and one seller can't agree (where the supply and demand meet), then that's ok because there are (most likely, given a supply/demand graph) other buyers and other sellers.
In (this form) Socialism, if the sellers cannot agree with the single payer (or the payer that represents an overwhelming number of the potential buyers) then they don't get paid for services (or are relegated to the much smaller market segment).
>> I know people see this as a bad word, but if we leveraged the best of both Socialism and Capitalism in situations like these we would be better off.
Not to imply that you were being disingenuous/malicious, but leaving out this part of my post misrepresents what I was trying to say.
- ende 10y agoSingle payer systems are neither Capitalist or Socialist. It's just a form of public spending.
- John23832 10y agoUnder (pure) Capitalism, there isn't public spending for private individuals. Not to mention government influenced pricing... single payer is pretty far away from laissez-faire and capitalism.
- ende 10y agoCapitalism is simply an economic system based on private ownership of property. Public spending is completely irrelevant. Single payer systems are entirely compatible with capitalism, and is a good example of Social Democratic policy (not to be confused with Socialism, which it is not), which seeks to work within the structure of Capitalism. A Socialist system would be one in which private ownership (of health care) is prohibited; perhaps the closest example among modern democracies being the NHS in the UK.