How often do your docs suggest tests that you think are not worthwhile? I'm young, but have never had a physician want to run tests on me where I thought they were a bad idea. If anything they normally say "that's not a big deal, we don't need to do anything for that."

The only exceptions have been dentists and dermatologists - where I'm largely paying out of pocket anyway.

I mean the opposite. I'll demand that I be able to get all the unnecessary and marginal value tests.

Just to be a jerk and prove some point? Good for you I guess. I'm not sure why you assume guaranteed global insurance would mean there are suddenly no constraints on what tests you can get for free, no copays, or anything like that.

Because we actually have a proposal in the wild hat has passed state senate under these terms.

I'd absolutely go get extensive blood work done on a 6 month cadence and get covered PT if my cost approached zero.

If your docs approve it, then you should probably be doing it!

And if your docs don't approve it and you want it anyway, pay out of pocket! I don't see how this would be detrimental to a single-payer system.

Why? Do you have a needle fetish? Most people aren't trying to go out of their way to get unnecessary tests. They aren't exactly fun; they are usually actually kind of unpleasant.

> every medical test and examination

You would be a statistical outlier. People don't go to the hospital for fun.

I think you probably mean "people like me". If you are on HN, you are likely to be employed, curious, affluent (or on your way), educated, rational.

There are lonely people who call QVC just to talk to the salesperson and end up buying whatever they are selling at that time. Those people also end up in the hospital and may realize it's cheaper if their copay is tiny or non-existent.

That said, I don't think it's limited to statistical outliers. The average, middle-class, insured family[1] is already likely to go to the emergency room even when they don't need to, causing long waits and drastically raising costs. Single-payer _may_ help with this (assuming there is much better communication about when to go, where to go, better scheduling tools, nurses available on the phone to mitigate emergency room visits, etc), but it's not a given.

[1] http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/medical_exa...

Also Japan has this exact problem because their elderly _do_ go to the hospital for fun since it only costs them $5 to visit a primary care physician. (65+ year old people only copay 10%)

Their system is completely overloaded due to their health care incentives.

That's verbatim what the nirse's union is saying...

Citation needed.

Citation: friend who is active in local politics who was at the CA state DNC convention last month in meetings.