I've been struck by the amount of support that exists for the single-payer approach, despite the fact that there has been so little coverage in the media. People understand it. You see, I can explain it in about three sentences. Single-payer is a system in which everyone pays a health care premium into a central fund. One agency in each state negotiates how much money will be available for care that year and the specific fee schedules for doctors and hospitals.
Patients see their doctors and receive treatment, and doctors are paid by the central agency.
That's a single-payer system. How would policies be set, such as how much to spend on treatment as opposed to prevention, or how many high-tech. Those issues would be part of the negotiations I mentioned. Each citizen would be guaranteed certain benefits, and within the money that was available for health care, the doctors and hospitals must figure out how to provide care in the most efficient manner. That's the process in Canada and Germany.