Question: What is the Difference Between Universal Healthcare and a Single Payer System?
Answer:
Universal healthcare simply refers to making sure everyone has access to basic healthcare needs without regard to whether people can pay for care or not.
Many experts will tell you that even prior to any reform of the healthcare system, the United States has universal healthcare:
- Some people have private insurance to cover their basic healthcare needs.
- The federal government covers the healthcare needs of everyone age 65 and older.
- Many (but not all) state governments provide healthcare coverage to the poor, especially children and some elderly residents.
For those with no formal coverage:
- Some pay for care out of their pockets.
- Some seek care in emergency rooms or free clinics, neither of which turn away patients, and most of which is then paid for by taxpayers.
Single-payer healthcare simply means everyone in a specific geography has universal care, and those services are paid for by one entity. While single payer by definition would not have to refer to a government as a single payer, in reality any country around the world that has a single payer system, uses a government-payer system.
- Learn more about universal healthcare.
- Learn more about single payer systems.
