There was single payer before the tax code subsidy for insurance came along. It was called "cash". The subsidy is responsible for a lot of distortion. It has

There was single payer before the tax code subsidy for insurance came along. It was called "cash". The subsidy is responsible for a lot of distortion. It has separated cost and benefit in the minds of employees. And it hands more of a subsidy to people who make more money. Taking insurance from your employer is a bad deal if you don't make enough. Which is why many employers of lower paying jobs don't offer it.