Agree with me or not, but comparing single payer health care system to the multiple payer one restages the eternal confrontation between socialism and capitalism. Each has its’ pros and cons for sure, and in the next few lines I will try to explain the differences between them.

Single payer health care system is publicly funded, mostly free for the beneficiaries at the point of use. It is financed more progressively, and relies mainly on the existing taxation system that allows the government to collect and pool tax revenues and purchase health services for the entire population; effectively distributes the risks throughout one large risk pool; is carried out on a non-profit basis; and offers the government a high degree of control over the total expenditure on health. It is a single health care plan in which all the essential “medically necessary” health care services are covered while alternative medicine health care services, dental services, and optometry services are mostly not covered. Some of the advantages of this system include:

• No financial barriers to the single health care plan of the single payer health care system.
• Health coverage is not affected by loss or change of jobs.
• No lifetime limits or exclusions for preexisting health conditions of the beneficiaries.
• Prices of the medications are negotiated with suppliers to control their costs.
• Can’t buy priority.
• Preventive care and early detection programs are fundamental in the single health care plan of the single payer health care system.

While disadvantages of this system are:

• Gaps with the medications, dental services, ambulance services, and long-term care services.
• A very traditional, medical model of health care practice in which the beneficiaries will avoid alternative medicine health care professionals as their services are not covered by the single health care plan of the single payer health care system.
• Bureaucratic procedures and budget issues rationalize which health care services are deemed “medically necessary” and therefore covered and which are not.
• Time lags and cost constraints with new ‘cutting-edge’ technologies.
• Long wait time for non-emergency medically necessary health care services.
• Weakness on cost control and cost minimization.

Multiple payer health care system is a market oriented system that is mainly funded by private health care insurance companies. It is financed more regressively, and relies mainly on the financial capability of the beneficiary that allows the beneficiary to purchase the desired health care services via the private health insurance companies; distributes the risks at different levels of the risk pool; is carried out on a profit for service basis; and sacrifices the control of the government for a greater ability to meet the diverse preferences of beneficiaries. There are different health care plans in which all health care services are covered including alternative medicine health care services, dental services, and optometry services but the choice of the plan depends on the preference and the financial capability of the beneficiary. Advantages of this system are:

• No time lags and no cost constraints with new ‘cutting-edge’ technologies.
• Short wait time for non-emergency medically necessary health care services.
• No gaps with the medications, dental services, ambulance services, and long-term care services.
• All health care services are covered. There are no exemptions but there are different plans that meet the different needs of the beneficiaries.

While some of the disadvantages of this system include:

• Only specific segments of the population are covered by the different health care plans of the multiple payer health care system, while other segments of the population are disqualified and excluded from these plans.
• Health coverage is affected by loss or change of jobs.
• There are financial barriers to the different health care plans of the multiple payer health care system.
• Can buy priority

I am biased towards the single payer health care system for what it offers towards solidarity and distributive justice. All for one and one for all – Humanity is one and health care is a basic need of life, so why for Heaven’s sake do we deprive a group of people from their right in accessing essential health care if they can’t afford it. Which health care system are you in favour of?