National Nurses United

NewsBriefs 2/14/07 4:07 PM Page 5 TOP 10 REASONS TO ENACT SINGLE-PAYER EVERYBODY IN, NOBODY OUT. 1 Universal means access to healthcare for everyone, period—the desire of 81 percent of all Californians, as reported in a January 2007 Field Poll. PORTABILITY. Even if you are unemployed, or lose or change your job, your health coverage goes with you. UNIFORM BENEFITS. No Cadillac plans for the wealthy and Pinto plans for everyone else, with high deductibles, limited services, caps on payments, and no protection in case of catastrophe. One level of comprehensive care no matter what size your wallet. PREVENTION. By removing financial roadblocks, a single-payer system 2 3 4 encourages preventative care that lowers a person's ultimate costs, pain, and suffering when problems are neglected, and societal costs in the overutilization of emergency rooms or the spread of communicable diseases. CHOICE OF PHYSICIAN. Most private plans restrict what doctors, other caregivers, or hospitals you can use. Under a single-payer system, patients have a choice, and the provider is assured a fair reimbursement. 5 ENDING INSURANCE INDUSTRY INTERFERENCE WITH CARE. 6 Caregivers and patients regain the autonomy to make decisions on what's best for a patient's health, not what's dictated by a billing department or bean counters. No denial of coverage due to preexisting conditions or cancellation of policies for "unreported" minor health problems. REDUCING ADMINISTRATIVE WASTE. One third of every 7 healthcare dollar in California goes for paperwork and profits, compared to about 3 percent under Medicare. COST SAVINGS. A singlepayer system would produce the savings needed to cover everybody, largely by using existing resources without the waste. Taiwan, shifting from a U.S. healthcare model, adopted a single-payer system in 1995, boosting health coverage from 8 57 percent to 97 percent with little, if any, increase in overall healthcare spending. COMMON SENSE BUDGETING. 9 The public system sets fair reimbursements applied equally to all providers while assuring all comprehensive and appropriate healthcare is delivered, and uses its clout to negotiate volume discounts for prescription drugs and medical equipment. PUBLIC OVERSIGHT. 10 The public sets the policies and administers the system, not high-paid CEOs meeting in secret and making decisions based on what inflates their compensation packages, stock values, or company profits. TOP 11 PROBLEMS WITH CA GOVERNOR'S PLAN THE GOAL OF HEALTHCARE SHOULD BE TO HELP PEOPLE, NOT CRIMINALIZE THEM. The 1 plan forces people to buy health insurance, with proposed penalties such as requiring employers to check insurance status before hiring or schools to do the same before enrolling students—plus taxes and fines. NO COST CONTROLS. No limits are set on rising insurance premiums, drug charges, or on pass-through charges to patients or consumers that hospitals, doctors, or employers may impose in response to the new taxes. 2 UNAFFORDABLE, SUBSTANDARD INSURANCE PLANS. With no 3 price controls, middleclass Californians are likely to buy the cheapest plans which carry out-of-pocket costs of up to $10,000 per family for medical expenses. Subsidies for the low income will also be inadequate for many. ENCOURAGES INCREASED MEDICAL DEBT. The double 4 cost of premiums and high deductibles likely will force many consumers to cut other basic needs or incur higher debt at a time when medical bills already account for half of all bankruptcies. DISCOURAGES PREVENTIVE CARE. Many may opt to 5 forgo medical visits rather than pay high deductibles, risking greater health problems and higher costs later and the spread of communicable diseases. NO UNIFORM BENEFITS. Those who can afford it will be able to buy more comprehensive coverage. The plan also seeks deregulation of existing minimum requirements for what health plans should cover. 6 ENTRENCHES A TWO-TIERED SYSTEM WITH BETTER CARE FOR THE WEALTHY. The high 7 income will be able to buy better coverage and will also disproportionately benefit from the tax-free health savings accounts promoted in the plan. NOT UNIVERSAL. Even with penalties, some may choose not to buy plans due to cost, as has already happened in Massachusetts. INADEQUATE FUNDING. Revenues may not be sufficient for state pools for subsidies 8 9 for the low income to buy insurance. California's legislative analyst says the Governor's budget plans rely on multiple "high-risk assumptions." EMPLOYERS MAY DROP BENEFITS FOR CURRENTLY COVERED EMPLOYEES. 10 The proposed 4 percent tax for not providing coverage is cheaper than the 9 to 11 percent that employers who now provide benefits pay, not counting ever-rising premiums. THREATENS PUBLIC HEALTH HOSPITALS AND CLINICS. 11 The proposed $2 billion shift to buy insurance from tax funds now used for indigent care would starve public facilities of critical revenue, prompting more closures.

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