She is for single payer, I’m against single payer. She is for prosecuting parents for their children’s truancy, I think it’s a bad idea, it hurts low income and minorities harder than other parents. Don’t like her immigration policy, there is a legal path for citizenship and we need to follow it. She is purposing tax credits, I am against tax credits, we need higher taxes and lower spending. Just fundamental differences, nothing earthshaking.
Single payer is much like the wall issue, the devil is in the details and no one has yet provided the details of single payer and how long it will be, and how much the wall will cost.
What is her "immigration policy"? Why are you opposed to tax credits (only when they apply to the needy, and not corporations?)?
I agree, we need higher taxes, and those who make the most don't need it for food, shelter and clothing. Thus those who do need tax credits.
Single payer works pretty simply:
1. Doctors, hospitals and labs would bill the state office for all necessary medical services they provide for all patients, and the state would remit the payments.
As you said, the devil is in the details. What about the taxes to pay for all of this? Basically, instead of paying health insurance premiums, you pay health insurance taxes. But instead of a complex and expensive system of administration, paperwork, pre-approvals for care, and third party billing companies, doctors and hospitals can streamline their practices, enabling them to treat more patients, more efficiently, because most of the accounting paperwork is eliminated.
In the US, 30% of every health care dollar is spent on administration - billing and payments, to hundreds of health insurance companies, collecting co-pays, chasing the uninsured. In single payer countries, that figure is less than 10%. That one line item alone reduces your costs by 20% or more, across the board. In Canada, our administration rate is 7%. 15% of your population is uninsured. That's nearly a 25% difference. Imagine if hospitals and clinics had spent 25% less on billing and collection. They could reduce their fees.
In most doctor's offices in Canada, the receptionist submits the monthly bill to the provincial heath insurance office. No third party billing company, no chasing co-pays, or the uninsured. One doctor who had practiced in both Canada and the US said he made more money in the US, but kept much more of what he earned in Canada because his expenses were so much lower. He could also spend more time with his patients since he didn't have to get pre-approvals or deal with insurance companies, which meant he could see more patients, thereby increasing his practice.
I've also talked to people who have been treated under both health care systems. When Americans living in Canada first encounter our health care system, they are shocked that nobody asks about how their bill will be paid. They just ask for your OHIP card at reception. You hand them your card, they swipe it, and everything that happens thereafter is all about your care.
When I get sick, I go to the doctor. If I am hospitalized, I don't have to worry about paying the bill, because I will have no bills from either. All I worry about is getting better and going home.