Podcast 54: Single Payer Series Continued — A review of the Single Payer CBO Report

Continuing discussion of single-payer system proposals, Suzanne Spradley and Chase Cannon review the recent report from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) on a single-payer system in the US. Suzanne starts off by describing the purpose of the report and some high-level takeaways, including that the report does not specifically address funding of a single-payer system (one of the major challenges in establishing a single-payer system). Suzanne and Chase discuss the report’s findings on the administration of a single-payer system (state- versus federally-run), the types of benefits and cost-sharing, eligibility for single-payer plans, and the potential roles of private insurance (including employer-sponsored coverage) alongside a single payer (in a multi-payer system). Suzanne wraps things up by discussing the report’s take on approaches to setting provider rates, and some of the conclusions reached by the report.