Friday, December 21, 2007

Impact of Single-Payer --- Two Examples

Example #1 - When we have single-payer national health insurance, decisions will be more in the hands of medical teams

Last night, December 20, it was reported by the Associated Press, as seen in Forbes and MSNBC, that 17-year old Nataline Sarkisyan " ... died just hours after her health insurance company reversed its decision not to pay for a liver transplant that doctors said the girl needed."

Example #2 - When we have single-payer national health insurance, common sense will still apply regarding medical and economic factors

Do not think that single-payer national health insurance will mean that a patient can always get everything that he or she wants in terms of medical care. In fact, there is a chance that there will be even more of an uproar of complaints about medical care then compared to now. There are certainly complaints in other countries. However, the average person in those other countries reports a very high degree of satisfaction with health care. They know that they and all of their neighhors have access to health care.


Just two days ago, December 19, the following Associated Press article was reported by MSNBC:

Very obese less likely to get kidney transplant

"Very obese people who need a kidney transplant are far less likely to get one than normal weight people, and when they do, their wait is an average of a year to 18 months longer, a new study found.

The reason seems to be both economic and medical. Very obese people have a greater risk for complications, and the transplant centers often must bear the additional cost of treating those problems."


For more information, see the remainder of the article.

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