Single-Payer Health Plans

Michael Moore's Sicko Movie

• Logan Clements is editing the footage he captured during several recent trips to Canada. There is great stuff here. You can see a brief trailer of the movie at the Sick and Sicker site.
• Stuart Brownings has developed several trailers and movies against Michael Moore's Sicko movie.
• National Center for Policy Analysis's website sicko.ncpa.org adds balance to single-payer health care and has horror stories about Canada, France and Britain.
• Chapter Response to Michael Moore's Sicko
• What a Single-Payer System Really Means for Consumers
Sample Letters to the Editor
• Sample 1
• Sample 2
• Sample 3
• Sample 4

At Issue

A single-payer health system is a healthcare delivery mechanism sponsored and administered by a single entity, usually the government of a state or nation. Single-payer plans are also commonly referred to as "universal coverage plans" or "socialized medicine. " In 1993, President Clinton proposed the Health Security Act which would have created a national single-payer system in the United States. While that measure was soundly defeated in Congress, since that time the idea of universal coverage has been a hotly debated topic both on Capitol Hill and in state legislatures nationwide.

During the past year, an unprecedented number of universal coverage initiatives were debated in the states and also in the city councils of several major municipalities, and many actually passed. Most were universal access initiatives, not true single-payer plans (where the government would be the only provider of health benefits). However, many were unfavorable to the private market and could represent a back-door approach to implementing a single-payer system.

NAHU's Position

NAHU opposes the creation of a single-payer health system in the United States. We believe that private market solutions to the problem of the uninsured are a much better way of ensuring that Americans have access to high-quality and affordable healthcare that is tailored to each person's individual needs.

What Others Are Saying

Many people who favor a universal coverage system in the United States argue that such a system would provide all citizens with access to high-quality comprehensive health coverage. But at the same time, many other consumer groups feel that single-payer health plans deny care to those who need it most. They point to lessons and statistics from other countries that have implemented single-payer systems to show that such plans lead to medical rationing and can limit an individual's access to the most up-to-date medical technologies. They also point out that single-payer systems often shortchange physicians and other health care providers, and that they frequently contain hidden administrative costs that have a negative impact on the quality of patient care and coverage.

The Cato Institute's Policy Analysis describes in great detail health care systems around the world. Click here to read Michael Tanner's analysis.

NAHU's Actions

Since the Clinton Administration's universal healthcare proposal of 1993, NAHU has been actively working to educate the public about the harm a single-payer health system would cause to consumers.

Tools

• Single-Payer Three Myths Presentation (animated version) and (standard version)
• Single-Payer Reading List
• 15-Minute Version of the Three Myths Presentation
• Single-Payer Three Myths Summary
• Single-Payer Outline
• Questions
• Single-Payer Flyer
• Press Release
• Op-ed Piece