As the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act continues to unfold, two representatives in Delaware believe the law does not do enough to provide comprehensive healthcare and are advocating for a single-payor system in their state.
Earl Jaques (D-Glasgow) and John Kowalko (D-Newark South) wrote an op-ed in The News Journal, saying the PPACA only leaves two certainties: "Millions and millions of Americans will remain uncovered; and it will leave the for-profit insurance industry in charge of prices and life-and-death treatment decisions."
The representatives wrote that while the health insurance exchanges and qualified health plans will help expand coverage, total costs over the long term are not outlined, and holes in the law will still leave many uninsured.
Reps. Jaques and Kowalko said a single-payor system — which is the basis of Medicare, Medicaid and Tricare — has been adopted by most other industrialized countries and is the "only healthcare reform that will cover everyone and control costs," according to the op-ed.
They also wanted to "dispel the myths" behind single-payor. For example, the representatives wrote it is not a form of "socialized medicine" because hospitals and physicians would still be privately employed, and patients would still have the freedom to choose any provider they want, which is not the case today.
"Recently, pundits have said our country will eventually have a single-payor system in place, but the people cannot afford to wait," the representatives wrote. "Not one more person should die from lack of access to proper healthcare, and as representatives of the 'First State,' we must move forward now."
In June, Reps. Jaques and Kowalko introduced House Bill 392, which outlined the structure and funding of a single-payor system in Delaware. It was struck down two weeks after it was proposed.
Earl Jaques (D-Glasgow) and John Kowalko (D-Newark South) wrote an op-ed in The News Journal, saying the PPACA only leaves two certainties: "Millions and millions of Americans will remain uncovered; and it will leave the for-profit insurance industry in charge of prices and life-and-death treatment decisions."
The representatives wrote that while the health insurance exchanges and qualified health plans will help expand coverage, total costs over the long term are not outlined, and holes in the law will still leave many uninsured.
Reps. Jaques and Kowalko said a single-payor system — which is the basis of Medicare, Medicaid and Tricare — has been adopted by most other industrialized countries and is the "only healthcare reform that will cover everyone and control costs," according to the op-ed.
They also wanted to "dispel the myths" behind single-payor. For example, the representatives wrote it is not a form of "socialized medicine" because hospitals and physicians would still be privately employed, and patients would still have the freedom to choose any provider they want, which is not the case today.
"Recently, pundits have said our country will eventually have a single-payor system in place, but the people cannot afford to wait," the representatives wrote. "Not one more person should die from lack of access to proper healthcare, and as representatives of the 'First State,' we must move forward now."
In June, Reps. Jaques and Kowalko introduced House Bill 392, which outlined the structure and funding of a single-payor system in Delaware. It was struck down two weeks after it was proposed.
More Articles on Single-Payor Healthcare:
Government-Run Exchanges: A Step Toward Single-Payor Healthcare?
Looking North: What the U.S. Can Learn From Canada to Salvage Medicare
Single-Payor Healthcare: What Could it Do on the National Stage?