When you think of National Health Care do you think of government hospitals

[Toots]

with government salaried doctors and nurses or do you think of everything being sort of like it is now but government paying the insurance bill instead of employers or yourself? Or maybe even a combination of both? That is sort of how I visualize it. Government hospitals with government paid doctors that any person could just walk in off the street and receive attention at no cost plus for those that wish for something more personal, (your own doctor), a policy that is mostly funded by the government but only say eighty percent. I'm talking about an insurance policy not the doctor/hospital bill. Might be something like $150. a month your cost on the health care policy. While that seems like a lot, because employers would no longer have to shell out health care costs they could pass a good portion along to their employees. Probably be more than enough to cover the cost..It is also possible that companies could even lower prices on merchandise a little because of their savings...which would give the economy a huge burst. Seems like a win win situation for everyone...Health Care costs would plummet if something like this were to occur and those savings could go directly into paying down/off our National Debt. That is how I visualize it working...:shrug: if only..

[NewJeffCT]

1. I doubt it will be government run hospitals

Even if we could flip a switch and go to single-payer healthcare, it would be that - the government is the single-payer who reimburses the hospitals, labs, therapists (physical), pharmacies, etc. for their work, instead of dozens of health insurance companies with hundreds of health plans and hundreds more prescription drug plans...

It would likely be paid for through an increase in the medicare deduction from your paycheck, which would hopefully be at least partly offset by no longer having to pay health insurance premium.

[Warpy]

2. I visualize a system the way social security was originally set up

which is a pay as you go insurance system. When you get sick and go to a doctor, you don't have to stop at the reception desk on the way out. The doctor submits a claim to the national health insurance bureaucracy and they pay the bill. The same is true for hospitals and clincs.

The only thing that would change is the name on the check they get for their services. Oh, and likely a much reduced hassle of coping with Byzantine paperwork from competing plans.

[Cleita]

3. No, I think of Medicare that let's me go to the doctors of my

choice and any available hospital that I choose to go to. I haven't had such excellent care before I qualified for Medicare and Medicare is limping from Republican efforts to privatize and destroy it. Imagine how effective it would be if it were improved and funded to cover everyone.