Some people have advocated a single-payer system. Why has it not gained more support?
Single payer is a health system run entirely by the government. It would replace the private insurance market, creating a Medicare-like structure that would cover all Americans. The government, the single insurer, would pay hospitals and doctors for their services. The idea has not gained traction, despite passionate advocacy, because of widespread opposition to government-controlled health care and to dismantling the current system. “It’s not politically feasible,” says Donald Taylor, a Duke University health policy professor.
