Single payer in Vermont died because of the large increase in the payroll tax.
“It is not the right time for Vermont” to pass a single-payer system, Shumlin acknowledged in a public statement ending his signature initiative. He concluded the 11.5 percent payroll assessments on businesses and sliding premiums up to 9.5 percent of individuals’ income “might hurt our economy.”
So what about California??? Well, its going to be higher…www.vox.com/...
Lawmakers have not settled on a plan for paying for the new system, though the analysis released Monday noted a 15 percent payroll tax on employers would cover the increased costs.
Such a significant tax increase could prove politically troublesome, even if employers and employees would see reduced costs through the elimination of insurance premiums, and residents would no longer have to pay most of their health care bills.
Polling on single-payer plans is notoriously fickle, but this February 2016 survey from the Kaiser Family Foundation demonstrates the dilemma California officials will now face:
Half of Americans said, in the abstract, that they would support single-payer. But 20 percent flipped and said they would oppose the idea if it meant many Americans would have to pay higher taxes. That’s nearly twice the percentage of people who flipped to say they would support such a plan because it would reduce insurance premiums and out-of-pocket health care costs.
I’d like to see single payer tried. But this high of a tax is a non-starter. It didnt work out in Vermont. There is going to have to be some additional funding. And perhaps some form of premium/deductible.