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Single payer was killed by the healthcare provider lobbies, not the insurance lobby. Doctors have waged a war against single payer anytime it has been suggeste
by Aloisius 3y ago
Single payer was killed by the healthcare provider lobbies, not the insurance lobby.
Doctors have waged a war against single payer anytime it has been suggested for over a century. The power the doctor and the hospital lobbies wield to sway opinion utterly dwarfs that of the health insurance industry.
- slfnflctd 3y agoThere are multiple reasons I can imagine why that might be, but I would love to see some citations for this so I have solid data I can confidently adjust my world view with. My opinion is that insurance companies are middlemen who too frequently rob patients & providers alike, and I would expect any reasonable legislation to include provisions to ensure that being a doctor is still financially attractive. Coming around full circle, the cost of malpractice insurance is now so high that it's become a significant barrier to entry for anyone trying to start a new medical office, and I think that should be addressed as well.
- Aloisius 3y agoUltimately, it's about pay. This covers some of the history: https://www.kqed.org/news/11902591/why-do-so-many-doctors-oppose-single-payer-health-care https://www.kqed.org/news/11902591/why-do-so-many-doctors-op... That people believe healthcare providers, where the vast majority of the $4.5 trillion in healthcare spending ultimately goes, are just barely getting by and that they're being robbed by insurance companies (~5% of spending) should be ample evidence of how powerful they are. Never mind that private insurance reimbursement rates are higher than Medicare's and even Medicare's rates are double that of every other advanced developed country.