Medicare isn't single payer

[dsc]

and single payer isn't the only way to get universal care. Single payer means that one actor, the government, pays for all medical care given in a specific geographic locale. Germany doesn't have single payer, France doesn't have single payer, Belgium doesn't have single payer, Japan doesn't have single payer. Canada does have single payer as does the UK (who also have government provided health care). There seems to be a wide spread misconception as to what single payer means and what universal care means. Single payer means one entity and only one entity pays for all the health care. Universal care means everyone has cost free, or nearly cost free, access to care. Germany has cost free, or nearly cost free care for all of its residents. So does Canada and the UK. I tend to think single payer is simpler than other systems that provide universal care but many, many countries with good universal health care systems have done so under the German model. We could do so as well. The ACA was a beginning attempt to pull us to that model.

[BooScout]

1. It's not really 'cost free'

You pay for it one way or another....almost entirely through taxes.

[dsc]

2. call it prepaid than

but the point is no one gets huge bills.

[still_one]

3. It depends what kind of supplemental or Medigap they have, or if they have any supplemental at all.

In addition, the Medicare drug plan may be very costly for some, especially if they fall into the donut hole, which still exists.

In addition, unless someone is classified in the poverty range, the premiums for Medicare including supplemental and a prescription drug plan can vary anywhere from around 100 dollars a month, to over 300 hundred dollars a month. It also does't include dental

[dsc]

8. that is my precise point

Medicare isn't single payer and isn't universal either. A single payer system would be more like Medicaid

[still_one]

9. I understand and agree with your point, and actually thank you for pointing that out, because I

think many think that Medicare is single payer.

My point was that while huge medical bills for healthcare services are mostly eliminated for people, the premiums and other costs could be quite challenging to some people on a fixed income.

[Hepburn]

10. I have a friend and neighbor who has multiple health problems

I am so lucky, no RXs and no major health problems. I was at her home when she was going over what it cost her out of pocket for her meds while on Medicare and with private insurance as well and I had my eyes opened to reality.

Me ------------> Her co-pays are enormous!

This is a woman who worked all her life and has a decent retirement and SS income and she has to do without something in order to pay for her meds. She has too much income to qualify for Medi-Cal -- California Medicaid -- and if she could qualify, her meds would be approx. $3.00/an RX/re-fill.

We need whatever-you-call it where healthcare is provided by the government. PERIOD.

[still_one]

11. The drug plan is slightly better than nothing. Its purpose is actually to insure for people who

need specialized drugs, which can run into the tens of thousands of dollars. However, even traditional BP meds and the like can get quite expensive for some people.

First they have to pay a premium anywhere from 30 to 60 to 120 dollars a month, with the less expensive premiums requiring more out of pocket expenses. If they take standard generics in most cases it will be very reasonable, but not always. They try to push you toward a particular generic which may not be effective for someone, as another one, and thus it would be more expensive. This is where it gets "interesting". In a way they are playing doctor, saying one size should fit all, and that is not necessarily the case. In the case of those that hit the so-called "donut hole", the costs go up considerably. Still it is better than what there was before.

There is an alternative for those who have reached the donut hole, or even if they haven't. GoodRx.com. You can get prices on drugs sometimes significantly lower than going through the Medicare Part D. What GoodRx.com does is have provide special discounts with various pharmacies, such as CVS, Walgreens, etc. You select you medicine, dosage, and amount, and they provide a list of pharmacies, and prices wih a coupon you take to that pharmacy when you fill your prescription. One needs to compare though between what Medicare Part D charges and what GoodRX offers, because it isn't always lower.

The last alternative is Canada, and though technically illegal, they do allow 90 day prescriptions at a time. People just have to make sure they are dealing with an accredited pharmacy. Not all are legit. I don't have any recommendations, people have to do their own due diligence.

Of course the real solution would be what your final sentence says, but at least in the foreseeable future that unfortunately isn't in the cards.

[fasttense]

4. Well at least we would get something for all the taxes we pay in

If you include state and local taxes an Americn citizen of an average income pays in taxes about the same percent as does a Canadian. But we get so much less for it.

[LWolf]

6. Which is exactly the way I want it done.

Universal care, free at point of service, paid entirely by taxes.

While I support Medicare for all plans, those plans have never been anything but a compromise.

[mmonk]

5. Single payer is pulling all healthcare, medicare, medicaid, VA, all under one system

with Medicare as the primary model. My ACA premiums have doubled in a short time. With all those states not participating in the Medicaid expansion, ACA's promise has already become a pipe dream, all just to get insurance and pharmaceutical donations for political campaigns and legislation that protects their profits from any challenges by government.

[pinebox]

7. "Medicare For All" is single payer & THAT is Bernie's plan!

http://www.pnhp.org/facts/what-is-single-payer