Truth
- The United States has the highest health care spending per person but is only 37th in health care results.
“It is hard to ignore that in 2006, the United States was number 1 in terms of health care spending per capita but ranked 39th for infant mortality, 43rd for adult female mortality, 42nd for adult male mortality, and 36th for life expectancy.3 These facts have fueled a question now being discussed in academic circles, as well as by government and the public: Why do we spend so much to get so little?”
Source: The world health report 2000 — health systems: improving performance. Geneva: World Health Organization, 2000. http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp0910064
For more information on how countries compare: A framework for assessing the performance of health systems. By Murray CJ1, Frenk J. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10916909?dopt=Abstrac
2. Medicare for All : Truths from Kaiser Foundation
3. Medicaid work requirements will reduce enrollees. as is intended
Myths
- Single-payer is government-run health care.
With single-payer you have a health care card and can go to any doctor or hospital in the United States. https://www.citizen.org/our-work/health-and-safety/health-research-group-publications - Single-payer will lead to rationing, like in Canada.
In the United States, private insurance companies ration health care now. No insurance, no health care. This ends with single-payer. https://www.citizen.org/our-work/health-and-safety/health-research-group-publications - Cost will skyrocket under single payer.
By eliminating the health insurance industry, we will save $500 billion per year. More people will seek health care services by taking care or health problems early, expensive treatment is prevented. https://www.citizen.org/our-work/health-and-safety/health-research-group-publications - Drugs will be more difficult to get under single-payer.
Much research is funded by the National Institute for Health and this will increase. Drugs will be cheaper with single payer because of group buying power. This is why drugs are cheaper in other countries. https://www.citizen.org/our-work/health-and-safety/health-research-group-publications - Single-payer will cover less than my current insurance.
All medically necessary care will be fully paid: doctor visits, hospitalization, prescriptions, mental health care, nursing home care, rehab, home care, eye care, dental care. No more bills, no more co-pays, no more deductibles. https://www.citizen.org/our-work/health-and-safety/health-research-group-publications - Single-payer will cost me more than I currently pay for private insurance.
Instead of paying a premium, co-pays, and deductibles, most of us will pay a similar or smaller amount in taxes. https://www.citizen.org/our-work/health-and-safety/health-research-group-publications - Trump, Republican “fake news” about preexisting conditions: you can’t be for repeal of Obama Care and protect people with preexisting conditions. Thank you, John McCain.