Yes. Up to a point. It's true that in general, the government currently pays less than private insurers.
What's not clear is what happens if/when the government is the only one paying hospitals to keep their doors open. At the reduced rate, hospitals will have hard choices to make. Only about 20% of hospitals are for-profit. For the other 80%, less money coming in the door will result in changes of some kind. I can't imagine how hospitals can do that, and make things better for patients at the same time. Something's got to give.
The same thing will happen as in almost every other developed country: average well-being will go up but some people will have to wait longer for treatment. It’s not like this is some novel, utopian idea. Public heath care is the norm in most western countries with plenty of variations and lessons-learned to choose from.
Yes. Up to a point. It's true that in general, the government currently pays less than private insurers.
What's not clear is what happens if/when the government is the only one paying hospitals to keep their doors open. At the reduced rate, hospitals will have hard choices to make. Only about 20% of hospitals are for-profit. For the other 80%, less money coming in the door will result in changes of some kind. I can't imagine how hospitals can do that, and make things better for patients at the same time. Something's got to give.