Bernie Sanders: LEARNING FROM OTHERS' EXPERIENCE

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Dare I dream that the uninitiated, unsold on this issue would actually read this and then consider it? Dare I dream that a previous block on this issue would receive at least the courtesy of reading a senator's thorough, well-researched report? This is a courtesy all of those people would expect -- will they accord it to a well-respected senior senator? Dare I dream that the majority will remain a majority and, will actually educate themselves and will grow spines? Dare I dream?

http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/news/?id=610a63cb-82db-4fa9-9047-1beac338ca19

April 21, 2010

While the new health care reform law is a major step forward in the fight to provide affordable, comprehensive care to every American, Sen. Bernie Sanders has said there is much more that needs to be done to address the crisis in health care. Sanders is a strong proponent of a Medicare-for-all, single-payer health care system and has introduced legislation which would make that a reality. The senator also believes that states should be allowed to take the lead in demonstrating the effectiveness of a single-payer approach. To that end, Sanders included in the health reform law a provision which gives states a great deal of flexibility to go forward on innovative ways to provide comprehensive health care to all their citizens.

Sanders knows we have a lot to learn from the way other industrialized countries have dealt with the challenge of providing health care to everyone. In Canada, it was the province of Saskatchewan which took the lead in demonstrating the effectiveness of a single-payer health system. Sanders also points to the success of nations on the other side of the globe like Taiwan in instituting single-payer systems. He told MSNBC’s Dylan Ratigan, “I just left my office, where the ambassador from Taiwan is there. In 1995, they instituted a program which now guarantees health care for all of their people, far more cost-effectively than we do in this country, through basically a Medicare-for-all single-payer approach. Long term, that's where we've got to go.”

Sen. Sanders sent his top legislative aide to Taiwan to learn more about the Taiwanese national health insurance system, a successful model of providing affordable, comprehensive care. Michael Behan, Sanders’ legislative director and chief counsel, answered a few questions about what he learned in his tour:

What was it like before that?
Taiwan had a crisis even worse than our own...

Do people like it?
Overwhelmingly. Public satisfaction came in at nearly 80 percent in the most recent poll....

How much does health insurance cost in Taiwan?
...The government subsidizes the premiums for those with low-incomes. ...
...For the employee, this amounts to about US$25 to $100 per month, depending on income level. (Employers & the government pay percentages of the insurance amounting to 70%.)

What does it cover?
The insurance people get is comprehensive.....

Are there co-pays?
Yes. Co-pays for outpatient care range from about US$1.50 to $14 per visit. Co-pays for inpatient care are capped at $900 per stay and a total of $1,500 for the entire year.

How much does Taiwan spend on healthcare compared to other countries?
6.13 percent of its Gross Domestic Product, whereas in the U.S. we spend over 17 percent, and that number is projected by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to go over 19 percent by 2019.

...life-expectancy has increased since implementation of the system, and many other health indicators have improved.

Is the national single payer system expensive to administer?
It costs Taiwan’s Bureau of National Health Insurance about 1.5 percent of the premiums they collect to administer the program....

Do people have choice of doctors and other providers?
Yes, people can go to whichever doctor they choose. 92 percent of all providers in the country contract with the Bureau of National Health Insurance.

more at link: http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/news/?id=610a63cb-82db-4fa9-9047-1beac338ca19