Huh?

Via Krugman (who does a good job of explaining why a reform bill should contain a public option), perhaps someone can make heads or tails of this Joe Klein argument, because I sure can't:

I would be opposed to a system where every doctor and nurse was employed by the government. I do favor a single-payer system where the government uses tax credits to give people the money to buy health insurance.

I don't understand the first argument, but as Krugman says the most plausible explanation is that he's claiming that there's no difference between a model where the government provides insurance but providers remain private and an NHS style system. If so, this is quite mistaken, and it would also be deeply crazy to think there's any slippery slope to an American NHS. And then there's the second point -- does he think that government subsidies of private insurance would constitute a "single payer" system? I'd prefer to think he's not that unfamiliar with basic terminology at this late date, but I can't see how it makes sense any other way...