Perspective
Increasing Unhappiness with Privatized Medicare, Increasing Support for a Single-Payer System
With the Medicare program expected to cost $7 trillion in the next 75 years, according to sources like the recently released Medicare Trustees Report, it is not surprising that increasing numbers of individuals are beginning to question the viability of American health care systems. These systems are increasingly controlled by private companies. For instance, the Medicare law and prescription drug benefit passed at the end of 2003 give private insurers, or HMOs, many incentives to begin offering Medicare benefits. In fact, the new legislation gives control of the entire prescription drug benefit to Medicare HMOs.
Many Americans are unhappy with this situation. Most of the public does not view health care as a business which should be driven by a for-profit motive, according to a recent Harris Interactive poll conducted for the Wall Street Journal. The poll reveals that Americans by and large do not want the private sector to control home health care, health insurance, nursing homes, hospitals, or medical research. Specifically, 31 percent of the U.S. public polled thought that government should provide most health insurance, while 25 percent said that non-profit organizations should do so. Only 22 percent of respondents preferred for-profit insurance.
The American public is not alone in its desire for guaranteed health insurance for all. A recent Washington Post business article reported that manufacturers, doctors, unions, and other big businesses increasingly desire universal health care, or health care provided by the federal government. The Post article calls attention to rising health care costs for employers, rising out-of-pocket expenses for employees, and rising medical costs for doctors as reasons that more and more companies and professionals want universal health care. As an example, consider that employers saw their health care costs rise 12 percent last year, causing them to lose workers and profits. Regarding workers themselves, consider that average out-of-pocket health care spending climbed almost $1,000 a year between 2000 and 2003. And, as evidence of doctors’ discontent with the current health care system, consider that 64 percent recently endorsed a national single-payer system in a Harvard Medical School survey.
These are important trends to keep in mind as the November presidential elections approach. Once you know the kind of health care system you would like to see realized, learn about the candidates and who supports your ideals. You can find out about where the candidates stand on important health care issues by visiting MRC's Questionnaire for Presidential Candidates.