A single-provider system, or "VA for All."
In theory, it would be straightforward to create the barebones of such a system.
About 19% of hospitals in this country are already publicly owned — you could just pass a law that all public hospitals and clinics give free care to everyone, and appropriate the funding to do so.
About 19% of hospitals in this country are already publicly owned — you could just pass a law that all public hospitals and clinics give free care to everyone, and appropriate the funding to do so.
Also you don't have to terminate anyone's health insurance to do this — there'd still be a private hospital industry for those who are covered, just like in Britain.
You would, however, run into the same big problem as with Medicare for All: the cost is truly enormous.
You would, however, run into the same big problem as with Medicare for All: the cost is truly enormous.
And if you implemented a system like this, much of the choice it would ostensibly leave is illusory. Most people would have to drop their health insurance to afford the giant tax increases to fund it, and thus would be forced to give up their doctor and use the new public system.
Also, this would be devastating to rural areas, as it would effectively mean 90% of people can only go to 20% of health care facilities, and those facilities would mainly be in large cities. Broad swathes of the country would be hours from a hospital they could afford.
Just thinking through this scenario a little bit is a harsh reminder that if it was this simple to fix our health care system, we'd have done it a long time ago.
