It is possible that, as with gay marriage, single payer health insurance may evolve state by state. I just finished reading Willinois' recommended diary Obama just launched single-payer in America. I urge you to read it if you haven't.
Something happened late last week that supports his theory. Dr. Don Berwick, Obama's 2009 appointee to head the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services who, like Elizabeth Warren, was filibustered and forced to resign by Senate Republicans, is probably the most liberal Dem candidate for MA Governor. His campaign issued a paper on healthcare policy on Friday. Among many other statements, it included the following:
"As Governor:
On day one, I will convene a summit of all stakeholders to conduct a top to bottom review of Chapter 224 and develop an action plan to ensure it meets Triple Aim goals of better care, better health, and lower cost. If Chapter 224 results lag behind, within my first 100 days I will work with the Legislature to craft a new wave of stronger legislation to incentivize increased transparency, payment changes, and care reorganization.
It is time to explore seriously the possibility of a single payer system in Massachusetts. The complexity of our health care payment system adds costs, uncertainties, and hassles for everyone - patients, families, clinicians, and employers. I will work with the Legislature assemble a multi-stakeholder Single Payer Advisory Panel to investigate and report back within one year on whether and how Massachusetts should consider a single payer option."
More and more people are becoming increasingly excited about Berwick's candidacy. Massachusetts of course currently has the prototype of Obamacare that was forced down Mitt Romney's throat in 2006. But single-payer would, in my opinion, be a big improvement in terms of controlling rising costs. If you are interested in a single-payer healthcare system, Don Berwick is the kind of person who could implement something in MA that could have legs for the whole country. I urge you to look at
his entire website and consider clicking on the "Contribute" button -- I've already contributed as much as I can financially at the moment to his campaign, but also intend to volunteer for him.