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Implement Single Payer Health Care for All

The best solution for our health insurance problem is a single payer system (a government administered universal Medicare plan) at the federal level.  See my federal plan.  However, if that does not happen, we should do the same thing at the state level. Vermont has already passed it and the movement is strong in Pennsylvania.

 The administrative costs of  private health insurance average 25-31 % while Medicare administrative costs are 3%.    The costs for  executive salaries and claims denial  bonuses along with salaries for attorneys and claims specialists to deny claims are avoided in the Medicare system. Additionally, it is estimated health providers bear a 10% special administrative cost to deal (fight) with insurance companies.   It is much less (more like 2% ) to deal with Medicare.

 More than 60% of physicians favor a single payer government administered health insurance system.

The coverage should be available to all.  We should all pay premiums which are means tested with higher income people paying more.  Commitments of employers to provide health care for workers should continue.  Ohio employers would have lower costs, making them more cost competitive and leading to better sales, expansion, and more jobs.

Those who oppose Single Payer often tell stories about failures in Single Payer health systems, most notably in Canada.  They are often unsubstantiated and untrue.  Ohio House Speaker Batchelder told one such story about a Canadian official who came to Ohio for treatment he couldn't get in Canada.  PolitifactOhio investigated and gave that story a "Pants on Fire" evaluation. See that story.