ABSTRACT
In 1992 the dismal state of the health-care system became a front-burner issue in electoral politics. With the recession, the health-care horror stories reached a critical mass. Health-care reform is perhaps the most explosive political issue gripping the country. Health-care expenditures were estimated to come close to $1 trillion for 1993 and are consuming an additional 1 percent of gross domestic product every year, for a total of 14 percent in 1992. Annual health-expenditure budgets, global budgets for hospitals, and set rates for health professionals would be enforced to keep growth in spending in line with growth in gross domestic product. Public support for a single-payer system, and for government involvement in the health-care system, has grown consistently as the reform debate has progressed, and the administration has consequently courted single-payer constituencies. "Public support for a single-payer system, and for government involvement in the health-care system, has grown consistently." Unlike any other market-based enterprise, health-care providers control both supply.
