, much like Medicaid, Medicare and Veterans Affairs. This topic is a lightning rod for controversy. Some argue that the government is ill-equipped to provide health care services for the nation. Yet, a single-payer system does not mean that the government will provide services. It will only be the funnel through which health care services are paid. A single-payer system exists in 17 countries, providing models for how it can be achieved in the United States.
Such a solution represents a long-term vision, given that such a transition would be met with resistance by the for-profit health insurance industry, which There is some glimmer of hope for health care providers and patients. UnitedHealthcare’s recent change in its prior authorization process is an implicit acknowledgment of this issue and a move in the right direction.
Plain and simple, the current system is functioning in the best interests of the health insurance industry.