This is the first time I have written one of these response diaries, hopefully the last.
I will keep you in suspense across the squig to find out the first thing you can do to help.
Change the name!
How did this idea get such a meaningless name? There is no way to make this kind of change unless people know what you are talking about. 99% of Americans do not know what "single-payer" means and they never will because it does not mean anything. It is insider code language.
When I first heard someone use the term several years ago, I pressed them to explain it to me, and they could not. I kept asking, "who's the payer?, who do they pay?, what do they pay?, how do they pay? Nobody knew. I think by now, through some individual effort, I have sort of figured it out.
If I am right about what it is that people who are using this insider code-word are talking about, they are trying to avoid the label "socialized medicine," because they know that is political death. But to choose a meaningless code-word instead is self-defeating.
I don't know the right answer to this because I am not a marketing expert. The notion of "Medicare for everyone" might be a starting point, but is not the final answer. How about some new name suggestions in the comments.
I have on my flame-retardant clothing and I am pushing "publish."