Legal Commentary

Media Matters: Health Care Primer for the Media

By Jeralyn

Not everyone, including journalists, understand the terms "public option", "single payer" and "universal health care." Media Matter has a primer with definitions for the media, reminding them that "Universal health care is different from the public option, which is different from single payer. Britain and Canada have very, very different health care systems."

Public Option:

The public option is a proposal included in the Senate health committee and House bills that would establish as one option among many a government-run health insurance plan. It would not be open to anyone who wishes to enroll in it, and those who are eligible would be able to choose it from a list of other, private options. CBO estimates that if the public option passes in the form envisioned by the House draft bill, only about 11 or 12 million people would be enrolled in it by 2019.

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Single Payer:

Single-payer is a health care model wherein a single source – usually the government – finances all or almost all health care expenditures; basically, everyone in the country has government-provided health insurance. You go to the doctor or the hospital, they treat you, the government pays. Our Medicare program is effectively a single-payer system for the elderly. Canada’s health care system features single-payer insurance available to all citizens, with doctors working in public or private practices, but receiving payment for most treatments from the government. There is no proposal currently under serious discussion that would institute a nationwide single-payer system.

Universal Heath Care:

Universal health care refers to the goal -- not any specific policy proposal – to provide quality, accessible health care to everyone in the country. There are many different ways you can get there; we currently aren’t following any of them.

Full post as published by TalkLeft on August 20, 2009 (boomark / email).