The idea of single-payer healthcare was once limited to the fringes of argument. But it’s made a comeback, as now this very idea is receiving support from some improbable places.
The single-payer healthcare is a system used by many countries across the globe, this system provides near universal coverage through the government. For long many progressive groups have pushed for a single-payer system in the US. This time some of the most powerful Americans have shown their support too.
Support For Single-Payer Healthcare System In US, Highlights
Aetna CEO Mark Bertolini
Admission of Aetna CEO Mark Bertolini was one of the most recent and striking one. Bertolini at a private conference, said that US should start considering the idea. Sarah Kliff of Vox said – During a town-hall-style meeting Bertolini told Aetna employees – “I think we should have that debate as a nation.”
Kliff added- “According to a person who was in attendance and provided the comments, that Bertolini did not support a total government-run single-payer system, but could be open to a private-public system that is used in some nations.”
Bertolini said “So the industry has always been the back room for government,” he added “If the government wants to pay all the bills, and employers want to stop offering coverage, and we can be there in a public private partnership to do the work we do today with Medicare, and with Medicaid at every state level, we run the Medicaid programs for them, then let’s have that conversation.”
The thought for Bertolini is that government supervision would finance insurers to yield a care, matching to a Medicare-for-all. But the Aetna CEO, didn’t consider total government supervised healthcare as a solution, which makes it clear that such a solution would put him out of business.
Bertolini said in a statement – “But if we want to turn it all over to the government to run, is the government really the right place to run all this stuff?” he added “And that’s the debate that needs to be had. They could finance it, and if there is one financier, and you could call that single-payer.”
The shift is logical for Aetna, as it is the first-time that most of its business is coming from Medicare and Medicaid which are government programs.
Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger
Apart from Mark Bertolini the idea of single-payer healthcare system in US has also received recent calls of support from American business giants like Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger.
Charlie Munger, a Republican, on May 6 at the Berkshire’s annual meeting criticized the current US healthcare system. He said that country should shift to single-payer. Munger said – “The whole system is cockamamie,” In an interview with the CNBC’s Becky Quick he said – “It’s almost ridiculous in its complexity and it’s steadily increasing cost and Warren is absolutely right. It gives our companies a big disadvantage in competing with other manufacturers. They’ve got single-payer medicine and we’re paying it out of the company.”
Warren Buffett, also supported the idea of single-payer healthcare system in US. When Becky Quick asked him, he said – “I personally do.”
Buffett also complained about the fact that the US pays roughly around 17% of GDP to healthcare costs, which is way higher than any other developed nation. He pointed that these increased costs are one of the major reasons that is holding back American competitiveness.
Donald Trump
In a meeting with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and also in subsequent tweets, President Donald Trump praised the Australia’s public-private healthcare system.
On May 5, during a meeting with Turnbull he said – “I shouldn’t say this to our great gentlemen and my friend from Australia … cause you have better healthcare than we do,”
Trump received a lot of criticism on this comment, he took Twitter to defend the comment the next day. He wrote – “Of course the Australians have better healthcare than we do – everybody does,”
Currently, much of the single-payer debate is simply talk. The Republican bill to cancel and replace Obamacare is still some steps away. Also, the GOP’s control over Congress and the White House makes this idea look faded.
The government of US looks unlikely to adopt any change soon, but the increasing burden of healthcare costs has driven the president, insurance CEOs and wealthy investors, to consider the single-payer healthcare system in US as a possible solution.
Date:May 14, 2017