Community | June 06, 2009 | 20 comments

Voters To Congress: What's Wrong With Single-Payer Health Care?

source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/05/voters-to-congress-whats_n_211995.html

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Give voters a voice in the debate over health care reform and they ask about the one thing most lawmakers decided from the start would not be considered: "Why not a single-payer program?"

That was by far the most popular question posed to members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus Thursday night, when they took questions on the House floor that had been submitted and voted for online -- something of a first for Congress.

The question-and-answer hour was expected to focus on public health care options as part of a health care landscape that would still be dominated by private insurance companies. But online voters, who cast almost 30,000 votes at progressivecaucus.org between Tuesday night and Thursday, hijacked the session, demanding to know why a single-payer program is not being considered.

Though only five of more than 750 questions were chosen to be asked at the event, some proved far more popular than others. The top questions included how much influence the insurance companies have had on the reform debate and why the public can't have a level of health care comparable to that of the assembled congressmen.

"What is it going to take for you to WAKE UP and smell the catastrophe that for-profit healthcare is?" read the fifth most popular question, the last on the list asked of the caucus members.

The novelty of the forum created a sense of actual dialogue between the legislators and their constituents, said Darcy Burner, the executive director of the nonprofit Progressive Caucus Policy Foundation, which advises the caucus and organized the discussion.

"Part of what we're trying to do is help build relationships between members of Congress and the grassroots such that there is more mutual trust than exists right now, so it didn't surprise me at all that the questions were somewhat adversarial," she said.

The legislators overwhelmingly support a single-payer program, Burner said, but don't consider it feasible. At this point, they're pulling for "a robust public plan that will provide real competition," she said.

The Progressive Caucus includes some 71 House Democrats, but only four made it to Thursday night's session: Caucus co-chair Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) and Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), who moderated the forum.

"For decades, Americans' calls for health care reform have fallen on deaf ears in Congress," Ellison said during the meeting. As for Ellison's missing colleagues, Burner blamed delays that kept them from starting before 9 p.m., but she lauded the participation of the four who attended. Both the foundation and the caucus will continue to press for greater interaction with the public, she said.

"It's the people's House. It'd be nice if the people had more input," Burner said. "The more people who are participating, I think, the more valuable the dialogue's going to be."
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20 comments // Voters To Congress: What's Wrong With Single-Payer Health Care?

  • Inofuilwell
    • 0
      Inofuilwell  

    • Let the G.D. Insurance Companies build a better mousetrap. When they do, we'll recognize it and buy it..They don't deserve a seat at the table at this point.

      Have you seen the Daffy Progressive Insurance commercials? NOW they are offering an auto quote where YOU name the price.

      The TRICK (and there always is one) - they just give you whatever coverage you can buy for that price.

      If you ask me, that "choice" is like giving an insurance agent's license to an untrained idiot - the public doesn't know the tricks inherent in the actuarial tables regarding insurance coverage.

      Flo (and that's her screen name), that make-up and hair still isn't as scary as the insurance industry is with even less regulation.

      String up the insurance lobbyists and recall their "paid-for" politicians and regulators.

    • 2 years ago
  • stopnoise
    • 0
      stopnoise  

    • I am just going to copy and paste what I said in the other post;

      I cannot take this dog and pony show and Yo-Yo game from the Government on the Health Care issue that has sell-out their soul to the Health Care Insurance Companies. Please people, do not accept anything if is not Socialized Universal Health Care that covers everyone in America. Should we start to treat our representatives like a school boy now? Go out there in the blackboard kid and write a 100 times. "I want Socialized Universal Health Care that covers everybody in America!"

    • 2 years ago
  • Marilynn_Murray
    • 0
      Marilynn_Murray  

    • I think the thing that would get their attention is to start a recall effort immediately against the worst one. Max Baucus. No matter how much money the whores take for their campaign funds, we still have the power of the vote. They are screwing us we better organize and fight for what we want or we are going to end up a third world country. Not only will we have terrible health care but our economy will worsen as the jobs will keep leaving because of this.

    • 2 years ago
  • PlatoTacius
    • 0
      PlatoTacius  

    • The poor health care system in America is one of the major issues that this nation faces. Why is it that the participation of our legislators in resolving this huge issue is so pathetic. Do the insurance giants and big pharm have that much control over our lives..?

      At what point do we get fed up enough to do something about it..?

    • 2 years ago
  • twitterbot
  • kennymotown
    • 0
      kennymotown  

    • This is a war we are fighting and the only way we can win this war against mafia forces that have taken our health care is to get mad as hell and hit them were it hurts. 6 weeks 6 years it doesn't matter we will win health care for our fellow Americans show up at meetings make phone calls write you congressman and senators. Of course they are owned by the insurance mafia and big pharma, nobody said this would be easy. Too many good people die every day to let them control our destiny. If they want more blood they shall have it only this time more of their blood will be shed, I know criminal activity when I see it and the insurance company's are standing in the way of our health care and I for one will not let this mess stand. As I speak millions of Americans have become engaged in this war and our sheer numbers will eventually overwhelm them.
      You can not give up the opposition are criminals and need to be dealt with for the scum suckers and leeches they are. If you work for the insurance company's or big pharma get the hell out of the way or suffer at the hands of a pissed off American citizens. To all my fellow Americans stand tall and get ready for the biggest fight of your lives, being right and just is on our side the evil doers live among us and need to know we will not stop.

    • 2 years ago
  • Marilynn_Murray
    • 0
      Marilynn_Murray  

    • Let's turn everything into for profit. If you have enough money call a cop or fireman. Rent your library books. Pave the road in front of your house, and hope your neighbor will, and his neighbor, on and on until you get somewhere. Too bad if your neighbors won't build their roads. Let's quit being stupid. Insurance is for all intents and purposes socialized medicine. Everyone throws into the pot and the sick ones take out. Single payer just takes the obscene profit out of it.

    • 2 years ago
  • current89
    • 0
      current89  
    • Image

    • Though I do think the single payer system is better, the house democratic caucus is proposing a sweeping health insurance bill. As usual progress will come slowly, the bill proposed is historic and would, apparently, greatly reduce the un-insured #s.

    • 2 years ago
  • neocongo
    • 0
      neocongo  

    • There's lot's of competition in the health insurance industry and they're still fucking us. We've all heard your talking points a thousand times from Pox News and the rest of the right wing screech machine, rockstar, and we know them to be bullshit.

    • 2 years ago
  • rockstarmillionaire
    • 0
      rockstarmillionaire  
    • neocongo:

      And there's also competition in health insurance that isn't fucking us. Perhaps you should look outside of the mainstream for the ones that are doing differently. Their prices are low and we're not getting fucked by them and we need to imitate their success. We've all been listening to your left wing media forced illogical statements and we don't buy it, neocongo. I've seen plenty of people respond to your statements with a good argument that leaves you speechless because you're part of the left wing machine spewing your bullshit socialized ideas and then you run off after your one trolling.

    • 2 years ago
  • rockstarmillionaire
    • 0
      rockstarmillionaire  

    • thankfully congress isn't hearing or considering single-payer health care. For profit is not the problem. We do fine in other sectors with for profit because of competition. That's what we need for the health care system. Single payer satisfaction polls in other countries is extremely low especially when govt run. Red tape, long lines and waits on things that need to be addressed immediately are no way to run a health care system. Look into systems in the US where there is competition for all basic dr visits and insurance is only used for high priced items. This is the way of the future.

    • 2 years ago
  • blaino
    • 0
      blaino  
    • rockstarmillionaire:

      For profit might be good in some areas but in no way is it acceptable for healthcare to be in the same system as walmart becuase they are not the same thing at all.

      We all have the right to life, good health would be a part of this fundamental right that our country is built upon. Without good healthcare we will not ever be equal with those sitting on capitol hill, or those big business leaders that can actually the best of the best of the best healthcare. You should not have to pay to be healthy.

      You should never ever make a person put a price on their life, thats all this for profit system does.

      We are all human beings, we are all equal with one another. Therefore we should all have equal healthcare.

      Yes the red tape and all that noise would be a major drag, but that is acomplete seperate problem from the healthcare problem. Thats over organization. When we take something simple turn it ass backwards, flip it around a few times throw on the red tape and there you go. Why cant we just have free healthcare? I would gladly pay taxes so that I wouldnt have to ever worry about my health.
      The problem wouldnt be the free part it would be the governments tendency to over complicate seemingly simple programs. Thats where we come in as the people of the United States it our responsibility tell the government what to do. If we dont like the red tape the government is putting up then its our job to tell them no and take the tape down.

      This isnt just a government after all, its a country. It isnt the governments fault the country is in the shit hole its the countrys fault.

    • 2 years ago
  • rockstarmillionaire
    • 0
      rockstarmillionaire  
    • rockstarmillionaire:

      For profit healthcare is what we did before we had the system we have now and it worked well. The only reason it changed was big companies and govt found a way to make money out of it without care for us. That's the only reason prices go up in healthcare and not in the private sector like technology, which goes down. In fact, as I mentioned, we are already doing a system within the system with some doctors that are for profit, not working with big pharma, or govt and prices are LOW.

      We don't have a right to good health. It's not part of the constitution for the govt to provide healthcare and there are many reasons. They do a subpar job based on how other countries are run. Our would be no different based on how they handle everything else.

      It is your obligation to pay for keeping yourself healthy, starting with prevention. Perhaps we need more education or to educate ourselves on more prevention since most of our diseases are preventable.

      People should get paid for taking care of you. They took the time to get educated on it. But it doesn't have to be expensive.

      We are not equal in how we get sick and should pay according to what type of sickness or injury we get. A person who needs open heart surgery shouldn't pay the same as someone who has a cold. In competition if someone charges more than someone else for the same thing then you go to the competitor and they're forced to lower their price. that's how it works.

      The red tape IS the problem. When you need to be treated for something immediately and it can't be for 6 months and then gets worse, that's not a fair or working system either. THat's what you get when you have socialized healthcare. It's all free to everyone, so lots of people go to the hospital and you're waiting for hours there or months just like everyone else while you die.

      It's not as simple as just paying half your check for "free" healthcare. You have to look at the whole picture. And then what would you live off of? Then the whole system needs to change to lower the price of all your expenses so you can live off of half your paycheck.

      For the reason that govt doesn't know how to do things efficiently and has proved it and it effects us in a big way and others in a health way is just the reason you don't do one-payer. Look how much good it has done so far to tell the govt what we want.
      Why even give it to the people who have messed everything else up when competition between doctors already works and can give you care today?

      Yes, it's the governments fault the country is in a shit hole. When they're the ones that don't listen to what we want and go ahead with making their few buddies insanely rich at the expense at the rest of country it's the governments fault.

    • 2 years ago
  • EnergyForAmerica
  • jh64487
  • csmonut
  • Denica_Cassandra
  • csmonut
    • 0
      csmonut  

    • It seems that no matter how many people vote, or write about something to thier elected officials, those officials will ignore it, saying they got less of a response then they thought.
      The insurance companies will win again....they have the bucks to lobby, while the people have no representation.
      Take back our government? Not without a mass showing of the citizens of this country actually in the streets, and in the face of those we elected to represent us.

    • 2 years ago
  • RaceBannon
    • 0
      RaceBannon  
    • csmonut:

      I wish, but we're fat cowards who forget that protesting is best done before we lose our job rather than after. We wait until we've been screwed to get mad, and really we should be mad at the first instance of the public being crossed in favor of big biz.

    • 2 years ago
  • carmalite
    • 0
      carmalite  
    • csmonut:

      When Clinton did not veto NAFTA the Democrates lost the Congress and Senate. The working class realized that the Democrates did not really care.

      Like Healthcare the parasites are paid off. It would take a massive showing. Our coutry is going corporatist and the Repubglican power structure loves it and the undereducated Republicans don't really understand that they are being harmed because the are constantly propagandized with hot button issues.

    • 2 years ago
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