C-SPAN
Washington Journal
April 30, 2010
Edward Luce, Financial Times, Washington Bureau Chief
I think I would, controversially, and these are my personal opinions, not the opinions of the Financial Times, necessarily; but you mentioned single payer. I think if we could transcend the political realities for a moment... in terms purely alone of American competitiveness, forget the moral argument, forget the social justice case for universal access to public health care, but just in terms of putting a lid on the galloping costs in the American economy, the disincentive to creating a new manufacturing job here for example, as opposed to in China, or Canada for that matter, I would have a single payer system. A single payer system would be able to negotiate like a monopsony, which is the buyer side of a monopoly, and to reduce drug prices which is one of the biggest contributors to health care inflation in America. It would be able to do all sorts of things to drive health care costs down, and that would help begin to solve America's fiscal problem.
Comment: Although we cannot just forget the moral argument - the social justice case for single payer - those who worry more about the American economy should be just as concerned as we are. As Financial Times Washington Bureau Chief Edward Luce states, single payer "would help begin to solve America's fiscal problem." The nation should be unified, socially and politically, in support of single payer reform.
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