> It sounds like a great idea, then a government shut down happens.

How about fixing the government so it can’t be shut down because a few hundred politicians can’t agree on the next budget?

Just because the fed exists doesn’t mean the entire economy shuts down with the government.

It depends on how it’s structured.

> It sounds like a great idea, then a government shut down happens.

Single payer / universal healthcare ≠ doctors/nurses are government employees (necessarily).

You go to your local health care provider, show your card, and received treatment. The single payer (government) then gets billed and money is transferred to the providers account.

If the government is shutdown, there could be a delay in payment in outstanding bills, but that does not mean health care providers shutdown. Medicare ran during the last shutdown:

* https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-care/government-shutdo...

* Telehealth was: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/medicare-patients-go-wit...

Social Security cheques went out too:

* https://www.cbsnews.com/news/social-security-government-shut...

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_United_States_federal_gov...

Lots of stuff can potentially be automated, and so continue to run.