Reply #28: Medicare pays even less than many HMOs so... [View All]

that would somehow be better? And the contracted HMOs you speak of are paying Medicaid rates, which might be worse than Medicare.

And "single payer" here might end up with an expansion of contracting with insurers and HMOs just as Medicare and Medicaid are doing now-- hurting those with presently good plans while not helping the rest out all that much.

Ultimately, it's not a question of single payer vs something else, but trying to change to a system where everyone gets basic primary care and other systems are set up for major medical problems, long-term chronic problems, hospice care...

Who pays for it is the least of the problems. WHAT they pay is the real problem.