We (and I can call it we cause them the American Rules) get a very bad rep for our health care system. In some respect the system is dreadful and in some it's very good. So I'm not going to make a defense of the current system being in the best in the world but rather shed light on why Americans does not currently have a national socialist/universal health system to those watching from afar that are shocked with our system.
A) People don't trust the federal government. This may seem odd but Americans have built the culture of not trusting big government but preferring local/state ones. Americans may not want the government to control what treatments they can get and rather they stay out of how they consume healthcare. Also quite a few Vets hate the VA which is basically "free" healthcare for veterans because of how bureaucratic and ineffective it was. This is our best example how the U.S.A will run single payer.
B)Taxes. Bernie Sanders while loved by some, had a lot of critics in terms of his plan not being feasible in terms of taxes. I don't believe any major politicians has actually proposed the exact % of taxes people will need to pay. It's easy to be in favor of it without knowing the tax burden. Is it 12%? Is it 15%? Is it 20% income tax? Vermont and Colorado both couldn't get it to pass due to fear of going over budget. And yes I know the issues of having only 1 state run it compared to a nation but the country didn't seem ready yet.
C) Drugs. U.S.A is one of the leaders in R/D in creating new drugs mostly because our system makes it easy for them to make their money back. They can charge Americans a boatload for drugs and then charge other countries much less because they make their profits in America. Is this bad depends on your perspective. It's worse for Americans but better for the world because they get cheaper prescriptions. I think this is a plus of the system because we are helping a lot of people out and our allies keep their health care cost down.
D) Which policy is the best? Nobody knows? Single Payer has fans because it's simple but doesn't mean it's the best. I like a plan where everybody 21+ who is a participant in the work force must buy insurance and remove job insurance because job insurance is so stupid. This will help lower cost across the board and remove some very popular things that are current very liked (getting to stay on your parents plan and workplace insurance). This might keep our drug production high too which is a big concern.
A) People don't trust the federal government. This may seem odd but Americans have built the culture of not trusting big government but preferring local/state ones. Americans may not want the government to control what treatments they can get and rather they stay out of how they consume healthcare. Also quite a few Vets hate the VA which is basically "free" healthcare for veterans because of how bureaucratic and ineffective it was. This is our best example how the U.S.A will run single payer.
B)Taxes. Bernie Sanders while loved by some, had a lot of critics in terms of his plan not being feasible in terms of taxes. I don't believe any major politicians has actually proposed the exact % of taxes people will need to pay. It's easy to be in favor of it without knowing the tax burden. Is it 12%? Is it 15%? Is it 20% income tax? Vermont and Colorado both couldn't get it to pass due to fear of going over budget. And yes I know the issues of having only 1 state run it compared to a nation but the country didn't seem ready yet.
C) Drugs. U.S.A is one of the leaders in R/D in creating new drugs mostly because our system makes it easy for them to make their money back. They can charge Americans a boatload for drugs and then charge other countries much less because they make their profits in America. Is this bad depends on your perspective. It's worse for Americans but better for the world because they get cheaper prescriptions. I think this is a plus of the system because we are helping a lot of people out and our allies keep their health care cost down.
D) Which policy is the best? Nobody knows? Single Payer has fans because it's simple but doesn't mean it's the best. I like a plan where everybody 21+ who is a participant in the work force must buy insurance and remove job insurance because job insurance is so stupid. This will help lower cost across the board and remove some very popular things that are current very liked (getting to stay on your parents plan and workplace insurance). This might keep our drug production high too which is a big concern.