It’s been many years since I looked at the numbers for the system that was proposed, but my hazy recollection was that they were going to need something close to a 10% payroll tax, plus a bunch of other budgetary funds from other sources and even then it was only feasible to provide coverage that was equivalent to the 80% AV “gold” plans being offered on the health insurance exchange. Meaning people were still going to be on the hook for 20% of the cost of their care until a pretty high deductible was reached.

People at the time were mistakenly assuming it would be like the NHS in the UK or something and be an all you can eat, completely free buffet of healthcare. For many the payroll tax would have been more than what their contribution for employer sponsored benefits were, for slightly worse coverage.