Urging Democrats To Go Bold, Warren Says 'The Next Step Is Single Payer'

I love having good discussions on reddit and hope you do as well.

The reason I believe we need direct federal involvement in healthcare for everyone, and make the US government a healthcare provider for every citizen is because our "free market" is not what it is advertised as.

Have you ever taken a look at a hospital bill for a broken arm? From the ambulance ride to putting on the cast, it is a shocking price to pay. We can have a separate discussion on why hospitals charge that much but that is the reality we live in. There is no competition between hospitals, and there is no competition between health insurance companies. Each of those is trying to squeeze as much money as possible from the other and the American people suffer because of it.

The problem is the cost of drugs and medical procedures. In Dallas, where I live, a MRI scan costs between $1,000 and $2,000 without insurance. If I am in urgent need of a MRI scan, the nurses won't wouldn't go around the city helping me pick the clinic with the lowest price. They will put me in their own MRI machine and bill me for whatever it costs, and I would be in no condition to protest.

We can discuss combining the single-payer with private insurance as a option but we need the government to step in just like they did with the financial system in 2009.

/r/politics Thread Parent Link - commondreams.org