Single-payer system clears vote

[vanbean]

Source: Durango Herald

DENVER - The House has given initial approval to a single-payer health-care plan, but the bill's long-term prognosis is not certain.

House Bill 1273 passed on a voice vote Monday evening. It will need to pass one more recorded vote to get out of the House. Four Democrats and two Republicans were absent Monday.

The bill, by Fort Collins Democrat John Kefalas, sets up a 23-member commission to design a universal health-insurance system.

"Our current health-care system is not well," Kefalas said. "Our current health-care system is unsustainable, with the cost of health care and the numbers of the uninsured rising dramatically."

To fix the problems, Kefalas envisions a "single-payer" system that would replace today's private insurance system. His bill sets up the Colorado Health Care Authority, which would design a new health-insurance system. The Legislature would have to approve the change in a later year.



Read more: http://www.durangoherald.com/sections/News/2009/04/07/Singlepayer_system_clears_vote/

[Javaman]

1. Wouldn't that be something, huh?

I would look at that as real freedom.

[Soylent Brice]

2. give the people what they want/need. we're getting closer and closer.

[sutz12]

3. I almost hate the idea of the states doing their own bills on this....

We need a national plan, for sure. But any news is good news.

[RufusTFirefly]

5. This is how the Canadian system started...

It began in the 1960s in Saskatchewan thanks in large part to Premier Tommy Douglass, who was recently voted the greatest Canadian, ahead of even Pierre Trudeau.

[harun]

9. Yep, if we get even one state the rest will likely follow. (Just like in Canada)

[truedelphi]

15. Boy would that ever be great.

We almost had it here, in California, but Schwartzennegger vetoed it.

[John Q. Citizen]

6. We need to insist that anything passed federally allows states to use single payer not for profit

instead of mandating that all states help subsidize private insurance companies.

a poster above me points out that single payer universal coverage spread from province to province.

Canada's system is still administered at the provincial level, although there are national standards and cooperation so that the provincial systems operate fairly seamlessly.

[tomm2thumbs]

4. maybe voters willy finally figure this out - especially after 60 minutes this weekend - ugh

stuff like that is so horrible - and here we are going to have troops coming home for care, our government employees have care, etc - but the people who pay the taxes and run this ship are left holding an empty medicine bag

[salguine]

7. It will die when our Congress decides that HMOs and Big Pharma need

a seat at that table, too.

[Hawkeye-X]

13. The big boys in Colorado are as follows:

Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield (they charge us an arm and a leg for insurance - just ask my parents)

United Healthcare (barely useful)

Kaiser

[Delphinus]

8. I hope Colorado can do this -

it can then be a model for the rest of this country.

Good luck!

[PHIMG]

10. 2009 - do we want Single Payer or Pay-To-Player healthcare reform?

Single Payer puts profits before people, covers everyone from cradle to grave automatically, and eliminates out of pocket expenses for healthcare, guaranteeing healthcare security and ending medical bankruptcy. When rich people are in the same insurance system as everyone else we'll have insurance that covers our ass.

Pay To Player healthcare reform mandates and subsidizes expensive and wasteful private insurance, fines if you if you refuse to buy the Private Insurer's defective product, allows unaccountable CEOs to continue to dominate our healthcare system, does nothing to contain costs, sets up a complicated system where you have to spend hours agonizing over which private insurance company to choose (a la medicare part "D"), does nothing to improve and save Medicare or Medicaid.

Private Health Insurance is Like A Hospital Gown -- chances are your ass is not covered.

Obama you say you need to build on what we have? Private Insurance is a failure, Americans hate it. Americans who have Medicare love it despite a 30 year plan by Republicans and Conservadems to undermine it. Why don't we build on Medicare?

[bvar22]

11. Stand with Dean for a Public Non Profit Option.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=5403293&mesg_id=5403293

[annabanana]

17. Dr. Dean has it right. . .. . n/t

[Hawkeye-X]

12. If this passes, I'm the first on the line to sign up for it.

Because we want to show the country that it is sustainable and ideal.

can't wait.

Since we're fully Democratic (both House/Senate/Gov) - I think it has a chance of passing. We'll see what the next few weeks entails.

Wife is already paying $250(some) dollars for her own insurance through work (company pays the other half), and also we had to get my 6 week old son insurance of his own since the state children's health insurance rejected him because we earn too much money (Bullshit).

We're barely putting it together, and if this passes, it means more money for us to help pay down our sustained debt.

Hawkeye-X

[Vidar]

14. Good for Colorado.

[annabanana]

16. Well Damn!

Good for Colorado!

I see in the article the usual howls of "socialized medicine" echoing around the mountain peaks. .