That "stiffling innovation" thing is a pharmaceutical company scare tactic. NOTHING has stiffled research like mangled care, which effectively siphoned off money for residency fellowships and residency positions in universities across the U.S. Fewer government contracts, fewer pharmaceutical grants, fewer young bodies to do the grunt work of research--all have had a negative effect on medical research in the past two decades. I can't see how single payer would do anything but help turn this around by freeing up all that $$$ that went to 6 and 7 figure salaries of health care "executives" running the TPAs.

It seems so obvious to everyone I talk to that universal health care is the answer to a lot of our problems. By covering everyone from cradle to grave, prevention and early detection of illness would really cut costs dramatically. Also think about this: with a single payor plan, employers would no longer have to worry about rising premiums for their employees health plans, or Workers Compensation! These are two huge costs that stifle small business especially; so more than likely an economic growth period would result from universal care. Another issue that, I believe, is tied directly in to the single payor, universal care system; would be a total makeover & downsizing of the entire IRS system & going to a total flat tax..this would elimitate a huge expense of maintaing the Federal Tax beaurocracy - in fact the new flat tax system could be so simple that the IRS would really have no reason to exist anymore, as the huge monster it has become. No loopholes would be allowed for the ultra wealthy and multinational corporations.
No stashing of obcene profits in off-shore accounts. Put simply, the new system should require the wealthy to pay their fair share. Of course, the ultra wealthy will always be able to buy whatever they want in cutting edge, state of the art healthcare & that is their right & privilege, but only after they have paid enough in taxes to allow all residents of this country full access to decent housing, healthy foods, and universal health care for all. All that extra government beaurocracy should be re-organized into a watchdog organization to keep industry from polluting our air, oceans, rivers, streams, groundwaters, land, crops, etc., etc. Let's face it folks, us (so called Christian) Americans need to stop looking for the splinters in other nations' eyes, and begin to pull the log out of our own.

It is a myth that Universal Health Care, a Single Payer Program, or Medicare for All, would save administration costs, cover everyone, improve service quality, etc. It sounds good in theory, but single payer programs are designed on systemic faulty ideas. I want true health care reform that really fixes the problems we have today. We are a brilliant country. We don't need to copy failed systems from around the world, we need to create the health care solution that is the envy of the world! We can do it. Learn the Myths of Universal Health Care or Medicare for All and then work for REAL SOLUTIONS!!!

If you are interested in facts instead of myths, please go to www.healthcareforall.org/summary to read either the exec summary or the 100 page details of a major health care consulting firm's analysis of a proposed single payer plan for a large state.
It is impressive in the use of puplic data on which to base their study. This firm has been on both sides of the issue of universal healthcare.
It would make a good basis for a public debate vs the strong opinions and conclusions of those who prefer the current system whose cost is out of control and leaves 45 million Americans w/o insurance (over half of which are employed full tim).