At a recent public forum, community members had the opportunity to learn more about single-payer health-care systems. <\/p>\n
The forum was hosted by the Single Payer Action Network, Ohio (SPAN), a statewide coalition of organizations and individuals who say they're working to enact fundamental health-care reform that guarantees full and comprehensive access to a full range of medical services. <\/p>\n
Insurance exchanges under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) are set to open Oct. 1 nationwide, making access to affordable health care a primary concern for many Ohioans. <\/p>\n
Whether referred to as single-payer or Medicare for all, SPAN believes the current market-driven system is not sustainable. Under a single-payer health-care system like Medicare, medical service providers would be paid directly by the federal government. <\/p>\n
During an opening presentation, SPAN Ohio Director Debbie Silverstein stressed that the issue of health care and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act evokes very strong emotions. <\/p>\n
\"We want health care to be there when we need it but what if resources aren't there? Obamacare is a good start but we're not done yet,\" Silverstein said. \"Health care is a basic human need.\" <\/p>\n
Proponents of single-payer systems cite reduced administrative costs in Medicare compared to those of for-profit medical insurance companies. Silverstein noted that since 1970, the health-insurance industry has seen a 2,500 percent rise in the number of administrative jobs compared to a roughly 100 percent increase in jobs for direct health-care providers. <\/p>\n
Opponents to single-payer systems argue that Americans without health insurance are not denied access to care, citing federal law that requires hospitals to treat people without insurance. <\/p>\n
Speaking in Cleveland in 2007, then-President George W. Bush addressed an effort in Congress to expand eligibility to State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), cited a common argument against government having a larger role in access to health care. <\/p>\n
\"I mean, people have access to health care in America. After all, you just go to an emergency room,\" Bush said. \"I mean, think of it this way: They're going to increase the number of folks eligible through SCHIP; some want to lower the age for Medicare to get more people to be a part of a federalization of health care. In my judgment, it would lead to not better medicine, but worse medicine. It would lead to not more innovation, but less innovation.\" <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Go here to read the rest: <\/p>\n
Forum asks: Is single-payer the future of Ohio health care?<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" At a recent public forum, community members had the opportunity to learn more about single-payer health-care systems. Continue reading