Budget & Debt Results of Public vs. Private Health Care Options
To see the fiscal effects of universal coverage accomplished through private insurers, compare the debt and budget of Canada and the UK , countries dominated by a government-run health insurance, akin to Medicare for All, to countries whose universal health insurance is offered solely by private insurers - Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. In the Table below, countries that have used public insurers fare far worse fiscally than countries that use competitive, private sector insurers. It is worrisome that the worst fiscal status by far is that of the U.S. with its reliance on a mixture of public and private insurers. Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland do not achieve their good fiscal status by shortchanging the poor. They offer generous subsidization of those who cannot afford the plans. It is likely funded by their taxes, whose rates, as shown in the Table, do not appear to unduly constrain GDP or its growth. What accounts for the better fiscal metrics