The health care system in the USA operates with the funds of multiple payers. The members of this system are different organizations, employers, governments, and insurance companies. It means that the insurance plans vary based on the type of entity that pays for the health care of a certain person, but all of them are regulated by the law.

However, the single-payer system can be used in the USA as well. It differs from the multi-payer system mostly by the fact that only one party pays for the provision of medical care. There are other unique features of such a health care system that are discussed in this review.

Medicare for All

Medicare for All can be called a single-payer health care system in the US that is sponsored by the government and does not involve any private parties in the medical processes. Medicare becomes a mediator between the person and health care organizations and eliminates the opportunity to earn money for for-profit organizations.

There are many advantages and disadvantages of such an approach. On the one hand, the single-payer system helps to keep the price of health insurance plans low as it does not compete with other private parties. On the other hand, the implementation of such a medical care system will require an increase in taxes and stronger governmental control over this process.

A single-payer system is beneficial in terms of the transparency of transferred money and guarantees for the high-quality medicine provided. For instance, there are some insurance plans in for-profit organizations which are cheap and affordable for everyone. However, such plans do not cover much of health care services and limit the number of free visits to the hospital.

Thus, being not so popular in the US, Medicare for All can become one of the options for those who prefer a single-payer insurance system and find more benefits in it.

How single-payer health care works in other countries

There are many examples of countries with single-payer health care systems implemented. For instance, the Canadian system can be called a single-payer one even though 13 provincial insurance plans exist. All of them are sponsored by taxes, and no private mediators are included in the system. Medical organizations can be private parties, but patients do not pay anything more than taxes for their insurance plans.

Similar insurance systems operate in:

• United Kingdom;
• Spain;
• Taiwan;
• Australia;
• South Korea, and others.

Unfortunately, the single-payer health care system is not common in the US. That is why many people face issues with the management of their own insurance plans and understanding of their coverage. Thus, there are debates around this topic and the importance of a single-payer health care system.