Resolved: single payer health care will not fix the US health care system's problems

[Velocity]

I’ve heard claims that single payer will raise taxes but also reduce taxpayer costs.

I don’t think the two are necessarily contradictory, but could someone explain what this means from the taxpayer’s perspective?

[iiandyiiii]

@Velocity

I’ve heard claims that single payer will raise taxes but also reduce taxpayer costs.

I don’t think the two are necessarily contradictory, but could someone explain what this means from the taxpayer’s perspective?

It means a taxpayer’s health-care taxes would go up, but the taxpayer’s non-tax spending on health care would go to zero (or a small copay). You no longer have to write a check to any doctors or any insurance companies – you just pay more in taxes.

[Wesley_Clark]

@Velocity

I’ve heard claims that single payer will raise taxes but also reduce taxpayer costs.

I don’t think the two are necessarily contradictory, but could someone explain what this means from the taxpayer’s perspective?

In the US I think we spend about 9% of GDP on taxes to fund healthcare and another 7% in GDP in private spending to fund health care.

Seeing how health care is not really funded in a progressive fashion the bulk of the costs fall on the person who gets the care. Single payer is funded in part via progressive taxes. At the end people who are lower/middle income would pay lower in private spending and possibly in public spending too if single payer reduced medical costs enough.