Anyone interested in talking about #singlepayer healthcare? I know it sounds kind of boring and weird but... it might really happen in California.
SB 562 would cover physical and mental health for everyone in the state for mental and physical healthcare, dental, vision, primary care, specialists, hospitalizations, home health, etc.
@Latkes @greermahoney SF already has Healthy San Francisco, which subsidizes health care for uninsured residents. If CA could implement single payer and make it work, that's a path for other states to follow. I'd be really excited to see them make a go at it. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Healthy_San_Francisco
@fobo @greermahoney Yeah, there is a realistic plan in the works - SB 562. The barrier to me seems to be when the mighty arm of the insurance companies comes down hard on this bill. Healthy SF allows them to still operate, but a statewide plan would not. We'd still get to choose our provider, but insurance companies would be out of the picture.
@greermahoney Basically, instead of your job paying the insurance company, they would pay into Healthy California instead. They would pay less than now, because insurance companies are an added, useless expense. I believe 30% of healthcare costs are now going to them. So instead of this big bureaucratic insurance infrastructure, employers pay into Healthy California, and Healthy California pays the providers directly (we'd still all get to choose our providers)
@Latkes I'm behind that! Sounds way better! Thanks for taking the time to clear that up for me.
@greermahoney Sure. Are you in California? If so, check out the bill http://www.healthycaliforniaact.org/home/ I know NY is working on a bill too
@Latkes Yeah, I am, and I will. Thanks!
@Latkes Outsider perspective from Australia: humans shouldn't have to worry about whether they can afford lifesaving surgery.
Healthcare is a right IMHO and I feel sorry for my US friends.
@Latkes That VICE article led me to believe there are some social norms here against politics, but I'm not sure how realistic that is.
That said - I think SB562 is definitely interesting. I did find this piece by Canadian MeFite mightygodking on how single payer is maybe not the best option thought-provoking: http://mightygodking.com/2017/01/09/a-lot-of-well-meaning-people-dont-understand-single-payer-healthcare/
@RexfordGTugwell Hmm, seem like a couple interesting critiques, especially around political pressure to pay for certain treatments. Overall, I'm still convinced Single Payer will be a massive improvement over current system including ACA, especially for poorer people, but also middle class people who are paying so much for care even if employer is paying. It comes out of our compensation ultimately.
@Latkes I'm not up on how that works with those of us who get healthcare through work. Would that just not happen any more in CA? I wonder, if my work no longer had to kick in for my hc, would they give me a raise, or would I just lose that benefit and they make out, and I end up paying more? (That's not a deal breaker for me. Just wondering.) I'm probably all for this, but I haven't looked up the deets.