A Warning for the Washington Post's Fact Checker on Single Payer Costs

Glenn Kessler, the Washington Post's Fact Checker, is trying to be even-handed in assessing the claim by advocates of single-payer health insurance of large potential administrative savings from switching to a universal Medicare-type system. Unfortunately, he gives too much credence to an insurance industry funded report (identified as such in the piece), which whittles away at the difference.

The basic story is that Medicare's administrative costs, as shown in the Medicare Trustees Report co...