Dollars & Sense: Massachusetts Doctors Push for Single-Payer

[marmar]

Mass. Doctors Push for Single-Payer
by Dollars and Sense


We found a link to this on, of all places, Marginal Revolution—hardly a lefty site!—in a list of "Assorted Links" under the title "How is the Massachusetts health care plan working out?" The headline of the original link is a little misleading, since it suggests that (a majority of?) doctors in Massachusetts favor single-payer, but the report is really about Mass. docs who are members of Physicians for a National Health Program. But polls have shown that a majority of doctors in the United States favor single-payer, so I wouldn't be surprised if a majority in Mass. did too (especially given some of the snags of the new Mass. "universal" system).

Meanwhile, in today's New York Times there's an article about closed-door sessions with the ailing Mass. Sen. Ted Kennedy to hammer out a consensus about what kind of health care reform congressional Democrats and the Obama administration should go for. "Lobbyists for a wide range of interest groups—some of which were involved in defeating national health legislation in 1993-4—are meeting with the staff of Mr. Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts, in a search for common ground." Lots of mention of insurance industry and big pharma lobbyists; no mention whatsoever of single-payer as an option. Forcing people to purchase insurance from private insurers is these folks' idea of universal health care. Similarly, Wednesday's Times reported that Kathleen Sibelius, governor of Kansas, is a leading candidate to be O.'s nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services. The article quotes an insurance industry lobbyist as saying that she'd be a great pick: "Karen M. Ignagni, president of America's Health Insurance Plans, said Ms. Sebelius would be 'a very smart choice' for health secretary."

Check out this article we ran last year on the high costs of the current system, many of which would remain under a compulsory "universal" system of the sort O. seems to be moving toward. And our March/April issue will include an article on management costs and how single-payer does better. ..........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.dollarsandsense.org/blog/2009/02/mass-doctors-push-for-single-payer.html

[Submariner]

1. The Romneycare health insurance scam sucks

I can't afford the $430/month premium, with $4000 deductible, so they are going to fine me $912 for not buying into the scam I can't afford. :crazy:

The Romneycare scam works great for the insurance companies though. The CEO of Blue Cross of Mass just took $16 million of skim, in the form of a golden parachute, plus $3 million a year in salary for life.

And the state of Mass has the nerve to run this scam on it's own residents. :eyes: