Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Sitting on the governor's desk awaiting signature at this moment is Senate Bill 840, considered to be the gold standard in single-payer health care financing bills. Imagine your current health plan, however good or bad it might be, then add comprehensive coverage of dental care, vision care (including eyeglasses), mental care, hospice, hearing aids, chiropractics, acupuncture, preventive care, substance abuse treatment, the list goes on, and of course prescription drugs. Now remove all of the co-payments and deductibles.
Sound too good to be true? It's not. Politically independent analysts (and the fact that most of the industrialized world has some form of single-payer) support its financial viability. In fact, the state would actually save money. Funding comes from the existing federal block grants, and from everyone who is able to pay into the system. If you have any sort of comprehensive health care coverage now, you (and your employer, if they are contributing) will be paying less under SB840.
Around 30 percent of our health care dollars are currently wasted by the private insurers. The buying leverage of a single-payer also yields huge savings. Having everyone participate in a single risk pool is the clear winner for financing of health care, as no one can ever predict what their needs will be with certainty. The current system of multiple risk pools is woefully inefficient and wasteful. Please urge Governor Schwarzenegger to sign this bill into law!