554
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[-] elrik@lemmy.world 70 points 8 months ago

I'm all for single payer in the US but this diagram is a bit misleading.

  • There's still a program receiving government funding (e.g. Medicare).
  • There's still admin and billing (for the government program).

What I assume you're really gutting are profits and shareholders for insurance companies. (Good, because healthcare in my opinion should not be a profit driven business in any respect.)

What I fear, however, is who is in power at any given time might change the care you receive if such a system isn't setup with safeguards and ironclad mandates.

For instance, Republicans would absolutely attempt, through legislation, executive order, and the courts, to implement an effective federal ban on abortion or healthcare for trans and LGBTQ groups by changing how/if a single payer system would cover these services.

I would also be worried about the public availability of coverage data such that lists of frequent providers for these services are easily obtained and become a tool for harassment by religious zealots.

Or, imagine an anti-vaxxer put in charge of the program during the next pandemic.

How do other countries deal with these issues? Or, have politics become so broken in the US that this is a somewhat uniquely American problem?

[-] Numberone@startrek.website 11 points 8 months ago

Admin and billing would still exist, but it would be savagely curtailed. We now have to account for every insurance agreement between insurance companies and healthcare systems. These can vary on a hospital by hospital basis causing the incredibly complex system of pricing that are currently used. A single payer system would vastly decrease the need for this administrative overhead. Of course this would result in lost jobs, and an honest assessment of M4A would acknowledge this. Bernie Sanders 2016 M4A bill had funding for the workers having to transition jobs during this change if I remember correctly.

[-] grue@lemmy.world 19 points 8 months ago

Of course this would result in lost jobs, and an honest assessment of M4A would acknowledge this.

On one hand you're not wrong, but on the other hand there's something downright perverse about lamenting the loss of middleman leech jobs.

[-] Numberone@startrek.website 6 points 8 months ago

100% agree. However, I try to keep in mind that these are real people with real families doing real work in the ineficient system that we've allowed to exist.

[-] ThatFembyWho@lemmy.blahaj.zone -1 points 8 months ago

Amazon always hiring. McDonald's always hiring. Hell just about every service industry employer is hiring here.

load more comments (12 replies)
this post was submitted on 11 Mar 2024
554 points (96.5% liked)

Cool Guides

4692 readers
1 users here now

Rules for Posting Guides on Our Community

1. Defining a Guide Guides are comprehensive reference materials, how-tos, or comparison tables. A guide must be well-organized both in content and layout. Information should be easily accessible without unnecessary navigation. Guides can include flowcharts, step-by-step instructions, or visual references that compare different elements side by side.

2. Infographic Guidelines Infographics are permitted if they are educational and informative. They should aim to convey complex information visually and clearly. However, infographics that primarily serve as visual essays without structured guidance will be subject to removal.

3. Grey Area Moderators may use discretion when deciding to remove posts. If in doubt, message us or use downvotes for content you find inappropriate.

4. Source Attribution If you know the original source of a guide, share it in the comments to credit the creators.

5. Diverse Content To keep our community engaging, avoid saturating the feed with similar topics. Excessive posts on a single topic may be moderated to maintain diversity.

6. Verify in Comments Always check the comments for additional insights or corrections. Moderators rely on community expertise for accuracy.

Community Guidelines

By following these rules, we can maintain a diverse and informative community. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to reach out to the moderators. Thank you for contributing responsibly!

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS