Single payer for breakfast

This weekend I attended a fantastic conference by Students for a National Health Program in Chicago. Held in the Physicians for a National Health Plan (PNHP) headquarters, the conference was entirely by students, for students. I was treated to a series of lectures and workshops providing compelling evidence that a single payer system (akin to Medicare for all) would bring us closer to a more equitable, less costly system.

It makes sense that universal health insurance would provide equity by eliminating insurance as a barrier to health care. But I did not understand until this weekend how a single payer system would help stem our ballooning health care costs and fuel economic growth.

I learned that the majority of rising costs are due to administrative costs (billing, private insurance companies) rather than direct medical costs or physicians. Simplifying our payment system and reducing administrative costs to Medicare levels would provide huge savings. On the other hand, a national health plan would take the burden off of employers to provide health insurance, which has been a barrier to growth and an incentive to take business oversees (not to mention how it makes employees dependent on their employers for insurance).

At one of our advocacy trainings, it was suggested that we become relentlessly obsessed. "What did you do this weekend?" "I attended a conference on single payer." "That's very nice, but what did you eat while you were in Chicago?" "I ate single payer. Everybody in, nobody out."

For more information: http://www.pnhp.org/