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Physicians Increasingly Support a Single-Payer National Health Insurance System

February 13, 2009 — US physicians increasingly support a single-payer national health insurance system, according to the results of a survey reported online January 29 in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

“Many politicians may mistakenly believe that single-payer national health insurance lacks support among key stakeholders such as doctors,” lead author Danny McCormick, from Harvard Medical School and Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA), said in a news release. “Our finding that support for single-payer national health insurance now approaches that of tax-based incremental reforms suggests that a Medicare-for-all-type plan may be more politically viable than conventional wisdom suggests......”

Of 3300 physicians sent the survey, 1675 (50.8%) responded; 49% prefer either tax incentives or penalties to promote the purchase of health insurance; 42% prefer a government-run, taxpayer-financed single-payer national health insurance program, which increased from 26% in a study 5 years previously; and only 9% prefer the current, employer-based financing system.

Regarding access to healthcare, 89% of physicians surveyed believe that all Americans should receive needed medical care regardless of ability to pay; 33% believe that the uninsured currently have access to needed care; and 19.3% believe that even the insured lack access to needed care. Opinions regarding access were independently associated with support for single-payer national health insurance.

"Surveys show that a majority of Americans support a single-payer system. It's not surprising that increasing numbers of doctors do,” said coauthor David Bor, MD, also from Harvard Medical School and Cambridge Health Alliance. “Single payer is the only proposal that can cover all Americans, for all needed care, without driving up healthcare costs. National health insurance would eliminate the massive administrative costs and hassles imposed by our current multiplicity of private insurers."

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/588331?src=mp&spon=17&uac=39980BG


Mike

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374652 tn?1494811435
great balls of fire, you mean the US will finally enter the 21st century?  I'm sure Insurance Companies will fight this to their dying breathe.
Being born should equal receiving health care, then we should start educating people on living healthy lifestyles
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419309 tn?1326503291
There is current legislation in Congress proposing a single payer health care system, the “United States National Health Insurance Act (or the Expanded and Improved Medicare for All Act)”, HR676, often called the "Medicare for All" bill, which I understand has garnered tremendous labor-union support:

http://unionsforsinglepayerhr676.org/

The site has some good informational links for those who are interested.
~eureka


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