An Expensive Experiment With Singlepayer Health Care

An Expensive Experiment With Singlepayer Health Care 

- Eric Boehm

WHEN LAWMAKERS IN the lower chamber of New York’s General Assembly voted for a single-payer health care proposal in mid-May, they waved off concerns about how to pay for it. Lawmakers in the California Senate did the same, voting in early June for a single-payer plan without first conducting a full-fledged analysis of how much it would cost.

As lawmakers in D.C struggle to make headway on federal health care policy, states are looking for their own solutions. In Democrat-controlled state capitols, that means taking a look at single-payer plans that would sweep aside private health insurance in favor of taxpayer-funded options.

But try as they might, these lawmakers can’t ignore the price tag. Most states operate under rules that require balanced budgets, so a massive new expense such as single-payer health care requires an equally massive increase in taxes. Thanks to the proposals in California, New York, and elsewhere, we’re starting to get an idea of exactly how massive.