Learn facts on insurance

Elizabeth A. Sheppard Albemarle County
Published: June 13, 2008

Health insurance for all Americans is a prominent topic in the upcoming presidential election. It is essential for voters to understand what universal health care means and, more importantly, what it does not mean.

Universal health care does not necessarily mean “socialized medicine.” It does not mean one “universal health plan.” It also does not mean that the government provides all health-care services. What it really means is universal coverage that can be achieved in multiple ways.  A recent documentary on the PBS program “Frontline” titled “Sick Around the World” presented three different models used by other free market democracies to provide health care.

One model used in England is socialized health care where the government is both the insurer and the provider of health-care services.

Canada uses a model known as national health insurance, or “single payer,” where the government is the insurer but the health-care services are provided by private doctors and hospitals.

A third model used in Germany and Switzerland is a social insurance model where there are many insurers (both private and public) and there are also many providers.

Three common principles apply to all three models: Every-one must have health insurance; insurance providers must accept anyone who applies and cannot make a profit on basic medical care; there is a standardized price scheme to control costs and streamline billing and payment.

Citizens in these countries consider it a basic human right to have access to health-care services. No one suffers the indignity of being denied access to a doctor because his or her insurance pays too little or the indignity of taking a sick child to the emergency room to beg for routine care. A person cannot go bankrupt because he or a loved one has the misfortune to get seriously ill or injured.

Please do not be fooled by misinformation and scare tactics designed to prevent real change. Learn the facts for yourself by viewing “Sick Around the World” online or purchasing the DVD at PBS.org.