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Originally Posted by Bman Can anybody let me know if any of the States have a Universal Health Care plan? Shouldnt Health Care be the responsibility of the State's and not the Fed? In Canada you dont pay anything to the Canadian Government it is all to the Provincial Government (State) ....it is just a federal law that says the Provinces must provide it. Quick Fact- Kiefer Sutherland's Grandfather is the guy who made it law in Canada...

No, each state will voluntarily set up pools of people to buy private insurance policies under the Affordable Healthcare Act (AKA:obamacare) https://www.google.com/search?q=Affo...Healthcare+Act or the Federal government will fill the function for non-participating states.

However this is, considering your point of view; a sellout or a compromise solution.

People on welfare (the "dole") receive taxpayer paid "Medicaid" at no cost to them and people over 65 receive Medicare old age medical benefits that they paid into over their working lives. Both are single payer medical insurance, State and Federal paid benefits but Medicare ( old age medical benefits ) has some deductible costs to recipients and some co-pays. Reimbursements to doctors, clinics and hospitals are considerably lower that what private insurance patients are charged.

So, we have this Byzantine payment schedule in the USA:

• Self paying patient: 100%
• Private insured patient: 50% - 70%* (negotiated contract price) (patient paid - federal subsidy at a sliding scale, up to $80K (AGI?) income (starting 2014)
• Medicare patient: 45%* (Federal government paid)
• Medicaid patient: 28%* (state paid federally subsidised (substantially))

*Approximate

Pretty fucked up healthcare delivery system ...