The Superiority of Single-Payer Healthcare

Jordan Mendelevitch

The Superiority of Single-Payer Healthcare

The leading cause of bankruptcy in the U.S. is healthcare bills. One common suggestion to solve this is a single-payer healthcare system. A single-payer system is financed by taxes, covering all costs for taxpayers. Undecided voters should support single-payer healthcare because the U.S. needs to keep profit out of health and fix its fundamentally flawed system.

For one, US citizens pay twice as much for healthcare than any other high-income nation, and here’s the kicker: they have lower quality healthcare. In 2016, Finland spent 4,033 USD per capita on healthcare, while the US spent 9,892. Finland’s healthcare is better in any measure. Their infant mortality rate is 3 times lower, their life expectancy is 3 years higher, and this trend continues for anything health-related, with Finland consistently on top.

Second, health insurers are a problem. Health insurance is plain and simply the only way to afford healthcare. Without health insurance, a doctor’s visit can cost $200, and simple surgery can set you back up to $70,000. Insurance companies are how you receive insurance, and though this doesn’t sound bad at face value, the profit margin of insurance companies lies in the denial of healthcare whenever possible. In a single-payer system, there’s no middle-man, everyone gets the same coverage no questions asked.

One common argument against a single-payer system is the lack of choice. Disputants often argue a choice of insurance is more important than having a great coverage plan for everyone. Though having a choice is generally preferable, commonly proposed single-payer plans would cover more than a typical American’s insurance plan. In addition, insurance companies make any choice unfavorable. In 2013, 16 percent of Americans were uninsured, and 12% of the insured population had a lack of coverage due to unaffordable insurance plans.

Single-payer healthcare would not be difficult to implement. Unlike some alternative healthcare systems, the proposals in the U.S. are predominantly aiming to give health insurance to everyone, not employ healthcare workers to the government. This makes it easy to implement, and an easy transition of all benefitting.

The popularity of a single-payer system is undeniable. 17 different countries have implemented a single-payer system, and even right-wing parties in those countries aim to sustain their healthcare system. In short, single-payer healthcare keeps profit out of health, provides all taxpayers with high-quality healthcare, and is far more straightforward than a private healthcare system.