The need for single-payer catastrophic health insurance

Abstract

Both physicians and patients are becoming increasingly frustrated with the decreasing flexibility of our health-care system. Forty-one million citizens remain uninsured while ill patients in managed-care plans find themselves subject to bureaucratic hurdles in attempting to obtain necessary care. Rather than relying on the market place to provide affordable insurance to patients, physicians should embrace single-payer catastrophic coverage. A government insurance program should be enacted that covers all medical bills that exceed a $15,000 deductible annually for families and a $10,000 deductible annually for individuals. Patients could then purchase plans through the private sector to cover these deductibles. While such a plan would require a tax increase, premiums would decrease, health insurance would become more affordable to low wage earners, and more treatment decisions would be made by physicians and patients.