There are many advantages to single-payer health care By Ann Troy, M.D.,

There are many advantages to single-payer health care

By Ann Troy, M.D., F.A.A.P.

Marin (Calif.) Independent Journal, August 27, 2018

Text Annotations

Text AnnotationsAnnotations

Under a single-payer system we would be healthier.

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I am a physician and I advocate a single-payer system or Medicare for all.

Under a single-payer system we would be healthier. It is well known that people without insurance or with high deductibles wait longer to seek medical care; thus, their illnesses and problems become more deep-rooted and more difficult to treat. They suffer more from injuries, disabilities and ill-health, resulting in decreased productivity and poorer quality of life. Sometimes they die because they put off getting care.

Under a singlepayer system, people would have a wider choice of doctors and would not have to change their doctors every time they change jobs or their employer finds a cheaper health plan. Continuity of care would improve and problems would be treated earlier (when easier and less expensive to treat). More people would receive vaccines and preventive care. Public health would improve and social problems associated with untreated mental illness and addiction would decrease.

The U.S. ranks at or near the bottom of the developed world on every measure of health. According to the World Health Organization-

, we are No. 37 on overall measures of health. Shameful for such a rich country that spends so much on health care!

A single-payer system would benefit us economically. U.S. companies are at a disadvantage compared with companies in other developed countries which are not saddled with the high cost of providing health care for their employees. Smaller companies can’t compete for the best employees because they can’t afford to provide health insurance. Unhappiness over health benefits is the leading cause of labor unrest.

Some employees commit workers’ comp fraud to gain access to care. People stay in jobs they hate because they need health insurance, rather than going back to school or creating new ventures. Families struggle to pay astronomical health insurance premiums than pay for care until they’ve met their deductibles. Half of all bankruptcies in the U.S. (approximately 1 million a year) are due to medical debt. All of this would change with a single-payer system.

Finally, there are the legal and moral arguments. Health care is considered a human right in every other developed nation. By not providing Medicare to all Americans, the government is not providing equal protection under the law: those with Medicare have more protection against the devastating effects of illness and injury, get more help overcoming or living with disabilities, and are protected against financial ruin.

People say that single-payer would cost too much. Not true.

We could provide health care for all our citizens for no more than we are currently spending on our very dysfunctional, fragmented and unfair system.

How is this possible? Currently almost half of every health care dollar is spent on something other than health care: profit for insurance companies; multi-million-dollar salaries for their CEOs; money spent on advertising, processing (and rejecting) claims; and creating mountains of paperwork and endless hassles for doctors and patients.

Then there is the money we have to spend dealing with the insurance industry: billing, authorizations, etc. Dealing with insurance companies is so cumbersome that we have created intermediary entities (such as IPAs) to deal with them. It is estimated that American hospitals spend about 25 percent of their budget on administration, most of it insurance generated! Layers and layers of costly administration would disappear under a single-payer system.

We do not need more studies to prove this. Other developed nations provide health care for all of their citizens for an average of half of what we spend per capita and an average of 10 percent of their GDP (versus our 19 percent).

It is time that we catch up with the rest of the developed world and provide health care for all with a single-payer system.

Dr. Ann Troy is a pediatrician who has been in practice for 30 years.

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Please provide at least five substantive annotations.

Here is an example of an annotation for the text on the left:

Is this necessarily true? Or would people be less careful with their health? Since they know they can get to a doctor, why would they worry about their health?

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The speaker highlights known issue that people without adequate insurance tend to delay getting medical care which leads to more severe and harder to treat medical issues.

Here the physician states the advantages of single payer system providing a bigger selection of Drs and eliminating the need to change Drs if you change jobs or insurance.

She emphasizes the improvement in continuity of care in turn leading to less expensive treatments.

She defends that overall public health would get better and social problems related to untreated mental illness and addiction would decrease.

This statement provides specific evidence from the WHO to support the claim about poor health outcomes labeling it “Shameful”

She states the system would provide a financial benefit.

She highlights the negative consequences of the current system where people resort to fraud in order to be able to get medical care which indicates systemic flaws.

It suggest that these issues can be resolved with the implementation of a single-payer system offering a solution to the problem.

This point emphasizes the financial burden on families with high insurance premiums.

This underscores that healthcare is recognized as a fundamental human right in everyother developed nation framing the argument in terms of global standards and moral obligations.

The speaker argues that the absence of universal medicare violates the principles of equal protection under the law suggesting a legal basis for healthcare reform.

The physician reminds us about specific protections and benefits that Medicare provides, including safeguarding against major health consequences aiding in disability management and preventing financial disaster illustrating the tangible advantages of such a system.

The physician addresses the common argument that a single payer system would be prohibitively expensive claiming that it can be implemented within the current expenditure.

Here she reminded us that a significant portion of healthcare spending is wasted on non-healthcare related cost suggesting that redirecting these funds could cover the cost of a singlepayer system.

There are many advantages to single-payer health care

By Ann Troy, M.D., F.A.A.P.

Marin (Calif.) Independent Journal, August 27, 2018

Summary Outline

TOPIC: What is the source about? (Write one or two words here that state the topic.)

The source is about the advantages of single payer healthcare.

THESIS: What is the writer’s overall point about the topic? (Write a full sentence here.)

The writers overall point is that there are many advantages to implementing a single payer healthcare system.

SUPPORTING IDEAS:

Please review the source, and state the supporting ideas that you find in the numbered list below. There may be more numbers than you need, or you may need to add numbers.

Remember that you are focusing on ideas, not stories, examples, statistics, etc. (Write each supporting idea in full sentences.)

1. Healthcare would be treated as a human right, ensuring equal protection under the law and ensuring that every citizen has access to medical care regardless of their financial status.

2. The single payer system would enable earlier treatments, increase preventative care, and improve health outcomes.

3. People without insurance or with high deductibles delay getting care, leading to more health problems.

4. A single payer system could be funded with the same amount currently spent.

5.The continuity of care would improve, providing a stable and secure healthcare relationship as people wouldn’t have to change doctors due to job or insurance changes. They could pick their provider and not have to worry about out of network restrictions.

6. A single payer system would protect families from financial ruin related to healthcare costs.

7. It eliminates profit driven incentives, ensuring that the focus remains on patient care, instilling a sense of confidence in the system’s integrity.