Running head: SINGLE-PAYER HEALTHCARE 1

Single-Payer Healthcare

Eli Cummings

Arizona State University

Single-Payer Healthcare 2

Abstract

I researched aspects of single-payer healthcare and the political and economic

controversies surrounding it. In this paper, I am addressing the controversies around single-payer

healthcare and the common misconceptions.

Keywords​: [Single payer, healthcare, benefits, disadvantages]

Single-Payer Healthcare 3

Single-Payer Healthcare

The topic I have chosen is healthcare, specifically, single-payer healthcare. I chose this

topic because my intended career path is in the fitness industry and fitness is a form of

preventative medicine. While fitness is not a large part of healthcare, I am interested in all

aspects of health. There is a large number of uninsured Americans, so the high costs of

healthcare was a very interesting topic to me. Single-payer healthcare is where a large body of

people come together and offer all their business to the company that will give them the highest

quality healthcare at the lowest price. This is very controversial given the United States

capitalistic economy.

The United States is known for having accessible healthcare to outsiders, however, it is

actually expensive and difficult to receive. Healthcare in America is costly to all families

whether it for emergencies, mental, or physical reasons. This needs to change because the

expense and quality of American healthcare does not meet up to anyone’s standards.

Beauchamp, D. E., & Rouse, R. L. (1990). Universal New York Health Care. ​New England

Journal of Medicine,323​(10), 640-644. doi:10.1056/nejm199009063231005

This is a scholarly source. Describing proposals for state based single payer systems. The

health care is still private but purchased by a single payer made up of many citizens. While

also expanding job based health insurance.

Single-Payer Healthcare 4

The article does not pose a strong rhetorical argument and did not sway me in any way it was

much more of an informative article.

“There are roughly 1.9 million New York residents who have no health insurance”

“The number of uninsured people in New York is slightly lower than the national average of

13 percent”

Martin, M., & Guerra, D. (2017, September 24). A Canadian Doctor Explains How Her

Country's Single-Payer Health Care System Works. Retrieved from

https://www.npr.org/2017/09/24/553336111/a-canadian-doctor-explains-how-her-countrys

-single-payer-health-care-system-work

This is a Primary source interviewing ​Danielle Martin, a Canadian physician who is also vice

president of medical affairs and health system solutions at the Women's College Hospital

in Toronto. She talks about many common misconceptions when it comes to canadian

healthcare and how there are many things to consider when comparing Canada's

healthcare system and the United States healthcare system.

This source has a strong use of ethos due to the doctor being interveiwed’s credentials. While

it did not hold a strong argument for either Canada or the United States healthcare

systems. It actual highlights some of the flaws and differences between the two.
Single-Payer Healthcare 5

“I am not an employee of the government. I deliver my services in a very similarly looking

model to Americans physicians. But instead of billing a private insurance company or

billing my patients directly, I simply bill the government plan.”

“I mean here's the reality if you look internationally, the United States pays more per capita

for health care than any other country in the world. You're closing in on 20 percent of your

GDP in terms of what you spend. So there's a lot of money being spent publicly and

privately on health care services in the U.S. It seems to me that ought to be more than

enough to pay for health care for everybody.”

Oberlander, J. (2016). The Virtues and Vices of Single-Payer Health Care. ​New England

Journal of Medicine,374​(15), 1401-1403. doi:10.1056/nejmp1602009

This is a scholarly source That establishes the history of single payer systems and the

controversies surrounding them. In regard to common misconceptions and opposition to

single payer systems based in fear of socialism. The article also goes over the pros and

cons of a single payer system.

The article does not use much rhetoric. However it does use logos to discredit arguments

against single payer systems that are based in pathos. I definitely felt that there is a greater

argument for single payer healthcare in the article.

“It concentrates purchasing power to reduce prices”

Single-Payer Healthcare 6

“It would trigger fierce resistance from conservatives and the business community and

anxiety in many insured Americans fearful about changing coverage and the specter of

rationing. The ACA’s comparatively conservative reform approach inspired false charges

of “socialized medicine,” “pulling the plug on grandma,” and “death panels.” It takes only

a little imagination — or a look back at the history books — to predict the reactions that an

actual single-payer plan would evoke.”

Rosenthal, E., & Luthra, S. (2018, October 19). 'Don't Get Too Excited' About Medicare for

All. Retrieved from

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/19/opinion/sunday/medicare-single-payer-health-care.h

tml

This is a Popular source from the New York Times that discusses single payer healthcare as a

political issue. How many politicians use it as a campaign slogan but that people should be

sceptical of it even being put into action.

This is not so much a persuasive article as it is a political article. It devalues the words of

politicians who use single payer systems as a platform for their political campaigns.

“​Maybe that action would be negotiating lower drug prices”

“In polling this year, ​51 percent of Americans and 74 percent of Democrats​ said they support

a single-payer plan.”
Single-Payer Healthcare 7

Sommers, B. D., Clark, K. L., & Epstein, A. M. (2018). Early Changes in Health Insurance

Coverage under the Trump Administration. ​New England Journal of Medicine,378(​ 11),

1061-1063. doi:10.1056/nejmc1800106

This is a scholarly source briefly describing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and how it was

started by the Obama administration then weakened by the Trump administration. The

article also uses statistics to show how the uninsured rate decreased then increased.

This article gathers statistics to approximate the effectiveness of the affordable care act and to

show the possible impact Trump's use of rhetoric had on it.

“Overall, one fifth (20.6%) of the coverage gains between 2013 and 2016 were reversed by

the end of 2017.”

“Polling from October 2017 showed that nearly a quarter of Americans mistakenly thought

the law was no longer in effect, suggesting that the repeal effort and President Trump’s

rhetoric had taken a toll.”

Vlogbrothers. (2013, August 20). Retrieved April 05, 2019, from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSjGouBmo0M

This is a popular source in whichJohn Green discusses the reasons why the United States

spends so much more on health care than other countries. He brings up many of the

reasons and arguments people have for the high costs of healthcare but uses statistics to
Single-Payer Healthcare 8

identify many of he actual reasons. Throughout the video he stresses that there is not just

one factor to blame and that the high costs come from a multitude of factors.

The author does a very good job persuading me towards a belief that a single payer system

could be an improvement to what we currently have. The video is very rhetorically

appealing because appeals to ethos because eJohn Green is thought as a credible source,

logos because the video uses lots of statistics.

“It’s really hard to put a price on, like, not dying.”

“You pay more in taxes for healthcare than you would if you were british, and in exchange

for those taxes you get no healthcare.”

Single Payer Healthcare.

What is healthcare wise healthcare important how many people does healthcare affect

how much does health care cost what is single pair of year these are questions that many people

don’t ask many people know that healthcare is an issue in our country yet do you not know what

is composed of or why it’s an issue other than it’s too expensive or that it’s not good enough.
Single-Payer Healthcare 9

Healthcare is goods or services provided to citizens by healthcare professionals healthcare also

encompass health insurance which is typically used to pay for health goods and services. A large

reason for why healthcare is so controversial is that everyone needs healthcare it is so expensive

so no matter what it’s only tell here they’re going to get healthcare and then they’re not gonna be

able to pay for it so they’re going to go bankrupt trying to pay for healthcare. And then everyone

else has to pay for that person’s health care because they weren’t able to.

Single payer healthcare is where consumers pool their purchasing power into one entity

typically the government then purchase all their health needs through the company that will give

them the best price. This system is very controversial because the United States has a free market

economy or capitalism. So politicians typically use the rhetorical tool of pathos to create fear by

associating a single payer system with socialism which is almost considered un-American.

Typically those on the political left or more liberal people are the ones who support a

single-payer system typically does on the political right we’re conservative people are more

hesitant to support or against it because it goes against free market economy. Though in this free

market economy healthcare is far more expensive and efficient than in other countries according

to Danielle Martin a Canadian physician Canada spends 10% of its gross domestic product

(GDP) and health services and covers virtually every single resident well do US spends nearly

20% of its GDP and health services and doesn’t cover nearly as many people when considering

this statistic is important to remember that the US has a higher GDP than Canada. Despite this

many people think that having a single pair healthcare system in the US would raise taxes

because Canada's taxes are higher. This comparison is brought up because Canada has a single

payer healthcare system despite it has this coverage does not mean it’s healthcare system is
Single-Payer Healthcare 10

perfect candidate typically has long wait Times and low physician availability. A large reason

that the US spend so much on healthcare is cause price of healthcare in the US are so much

higher which makes sense or extent because the US is fairly richer than other countries so cost of

healthcare should be somewhat higher but not as dramatically higher as they are. For example a

hip replacement in Belgium cost $13,000 in US it can be upwards of $100,000. A single payer

system gives citizens the ability to negotiate for lower prices.

Section 4, Conclusion

This research will inform people of a way they could save money by increasing their

awareness of single payer healthcare. Also this research would eliminate many of the common

misconceptions about single payer healthcare so readers can have informed conversations

regarding the topic and whether it's something that should be implemented in the United States.
Single-Payer Healthcare 11