What's the priority?

There's a great quote about single-payer in Hartford Business. The quote is from Connecticut's new state insurance regulator, a guy that the headline says, "Comes With Close Ties To The Industry."

Now when I was writing stories (but not heads), I'd get something like that into the paper and think that surely some of our readers would get it. As Norm Jenson over at One Good Move says, "I thought these things might be clues."

This new regulator warns about the dangers of a single payer system.

“'I don’t know how that would integrate with the private market. I don’t see that happening,' he said."

"Ah-hah" moment. This may be the same problem that some of the commissioners on Colorado's 208 Commission have. They can see that a universal risk pool is most efficient; they can see that it's immoral and bad for business to leave citizens without healthcare (or with inadequate healthcare) and bankrupted when they get sick — but how the hell do you shoehorn a single-payer system into the private market?

Can't be done, they sadly conclude.

As do we who advocate for single-payer. Can't be done. Which way you go from there says a lot about your priorities. Is your priority propping up an unjust and inefficient private market, or is it getting quality healthcare to people in an efficient and just manner?

Which side are you on?