Is there more support for a single payer system than we are being told?
Congressional Task Force Disregards Public’s Call for National Health Insurance
http://www.pnhp.org/news/2006/october/citizens_health_ca.php"The group created by Congress to listen to Americans’ ideas for improving the health system has ignored their overwhelming advice to create a national health insurance program. Although a national health program was by far the most favored option at 86 percent (25 of 29) of the meetings of the Citizens’ Health Care Working Group (CHCWG), the group’s recommendations avoid the clear public preference for government-guaranteed health coverage.
When given a choice of ten reform options at public hearings held by the CHCWG, participants clearly favored a national health program by a margin of at least 3 to 1. At meetings where participants were asked to rank the 10 options, national health insurance was ranked first 16 of 19 times... Most supporters of a national health program favor a single-payer system, which retain the private delivery of health care by physicians and hospitals, but organizes payment under a single public agency. A 2003 study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that a single-payer national health insurance program would save enough on administrative costs — more than $300 billion per year — to cover all of the uninsured and provide full benefits for everyone else.
The 15-member CHCWG was created as a part of the 2003 Medicare drug bill to hold public hearings on health care and make recommendations to the President and Congress on “ways to improve and strengthen the health care system based on the information and preferences expressed at the community meetings.”
To see the meeting data from the CHCWG report, follow this link:
http://pnhp.org/PDF_files/Last_Page_from_appendix_b.pdfSummary and data reports from individual community meetings can be found at:
http://www.citizenshealthcare.govOur Health Care System: We Listened to Americans and Sent Six Recommendations to Congress and the President:
http://www.citizenshealthcare.gov"Thousands of Americans have spoken, and the independent, nonpartisan Citizens’ Health Care Working Group formulated recommendations based on this extensive public input.
For over 15 months, the Working Group engaged the American people in an open dialogue about the current state of our health care system. You shared your experiences generously, expressing your concerns, wishes, and expectations about the health care system and how you want it changed. Based on what you told us, the Citizens’ Working Group sent recommendations to the Congress and the President September 29, 2006..." Strong support for national health programhttp://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/bobhealthcareadvocate/CXvg"From the final report of the working group established by the U.S. Congress, the Citizens Health Care Working Group <Link> (bolding was added below):
Page 40 -- A commonly expressed view was that a simpler system would result in lower administrative costs. Participants believed that a more straightforward health care system would reduce administrative costs by eliminating duplication of services. At a number of meetings throughout the country, many individuals advocated a single-payer system to eliminate the middleman, possibly one structured like Medicare or similar to the public school system. Under this type of system, everyone would pay taxes to support the system, even though, as with education, they might not use the services. Participants advocating the single payer concept said it would be the most efficient way to organize health care.
SUMMARY OF PERCENTAGE RESULTS ---- Following are the averages for the 10 meetings for which the percentage votes is provided in the CHCWG
report (on Appendix page B-7 ... detailed data is below)
7% Individual Tax Incentives
7% Expand State Medicaid, SCHIP, etc.
3% Rely on Free Market
7% Expand Medicare/FEHBP
4% Expand Employer Tax Incentives
4% Employer Insurance Mandate
3% Expand Neighborhood Health clinics
47% Create a National Health Program <---<---<---<---<---<---<---
15% Individual Insurance Mandate 2% Increase State Program Flexibility
The Physician's for a National Health Program (PNHP) post about the CHCWG results <Link>. accurately describes the results as follows: "When given a choice of ten reform options at public hearings held by the CHCWG, participants clearly favored a national health program by a margin of at least 3 to 1." That 3 to 1 margin would be the 47& (above) as compared to the 15% (above).
However, look at a comparison to all of the other options, such as the reliance on the free market, which is a ratio of 15 to 1."
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