Nurses tell candidates: "Stop Selling Insurance and Back Real Reform"

[LongTomH]

From Mike Moore's website: Nurses Launch Major Ohio Radio Ad Campaign Telling Candidates: Stop Selling Insurance and Back Real Reform

On the eve of Ohio’s crucial primary vote Tuesday, the National Nurses Organizing Committee/California Nurses Association today launched a major radio campaign across Ohio with an emphatic message to the presidential candidates to stop selling private insurance policies and support real healthcare reform.

<snip>

Criticizing “individual mandates” that require people to purchase insurance—a major focus of the debate on healthcare among the Democratic presidential candidates— the nurses say that mandating private insurance is not “universal healthcare,” especially while the insurance giants “can still charge as much as they want and still deny you care when you are sick.”

<snip>

Nurses know the problem with insurance-based care, the ad notes. They regularly “witness lives lost, care denied, families ruined by big insurance corporations. Nurses know there is only one real cure for our broken health care system. We ask the candidates to commit to the highest standard of quality care through Medicare for all Americans. That’s the real reform that puts decision-making power where it belongs – with you, your nurses, and your doctors.”

National Nurses Organizing Committee/California Nurses Association

No matter who wins tomorrow, the debate goes on. The cost of health care is destroying lives and families, and draining billions from the economy. The cost of health care is one of the factors driving jobs overseas.

It's a major factor driving discrimination against older workers; older workers are being told: "I'd really like to hire you; but, you'll cost us too much in healthcare costs."

[sandnsea]

1. Health Insurance Exchange

Obama's plan regulates insurance companies, requires every plan to have a base of coverage, monitors rates, requires a percentage to go to medical payments, eliminates pre-existing conditions, etc. It doesn't help to have groups meshing both of these plans together and getting the facts wrong to boot.

[autorank]

5. As long as you have multiple payer, for profit insurance, it's a loser.

Those of us who buy our own insurance directly now the real cost of commercial health insurance, about $1200.00 a month, if you're lucky.

These are positive changes. And if the self employed can enroll in the Federal plan, that's great.

But I heard some weasel words like, if they qualify (with a low enough income).

If I end up with him as president and unable to benefit from health insurance changes, what's the point?

We need a British or Canadian system here. One source of payment, no interference, and care for all.

Neither plan offers that and both fail.

[sandnsea]

6. Then argue it on the facts

That's all I'm saying. We aren't going to get anything if we have to fight lies on the left and the right.

In Oregon, subsidies pay up to 95% of insurance, making that $1200 policy $60. If you're at the poverty level, you still qualify for Medicaid.

[eridani]

8. "Far left" on health care = the entire industrialized world

--except for us.

[sandnsea]

9. I live where I live

In the US. Not much point discussing the rest of the world when people are dying here because they don't have any help.

[eridani]

15. They will die as long as private insurers continue to profit from that n/t

[sandnsea]

19. Lots of companies profit from health care

Removing profit from insurance is only a small part of the cost of health profits.

[eridani]

20. Insurance companies profit by DENYING health care

That is their only reason for existence. Other companies profit by providing it, or relevant equipment. Big difference.

[sandnsea]

21. The government will deny it too

New equipment, new procedures, new drugs. The government won't provide it any quicker than an insurance company will.

[eridani]

23. They can get voted out of office for doing that

--unlike insurance execs. Their basic motivation has to be to cover as much as possible. Private insurers make money if and only if they deny care.

[sandnsea]

24. People change insurance policies

if they don't provide coverage. And state insurance commissions investigate companies with repeated claims. The same circumstances will apply to govt coverage as insurance coverage. It will be too expensive to cover the new treatments and only the richest people will get the treatments.

[eridani]

25. Not if they are stuck with the one their employer provides

--I can't possibly change insurance without bankrupting myself. And since I've never been expensively sick, I don't even know if it's any good. Just like I don't know if my fire department is any good.

People in other countries get advanced medical treatments. Since we are already spending twice what they are, it's just bullshit to say we couldn't afford them. Governments do have to get elected, you know. Their motivations will be to cover as much as possible. Private insurers have denial of care as the only reason for their existence.

[sandnsea]

28. Your employer would change

They do it all the time. Somebody has been sick at your place of employment or who has been insured by your insurance company.

The first heart transplant in Canada was in 1984. The first one in the US was in 1967.

My mother had a heart transplant in 1988. If she'd lived in Canada, she probably wouldn't have gotten one.

There is more to think about than just for profit insurance. The problems are not that simple.

[eridani]

29. With far better primary care, fewer Canadians need heart transplants

If your mother was in Canada, she'd be far less likely to need one. Heroic medicine saves hundreds of times fewer lives than doing the basics well. I belong to an organization that sends people to Canada for basic care (cash only, but half the price that it is here). One of our doctors left Canada because he thought he might make more money here, but it was a wash with all the extra expenses. Also, he got disgusted at all the diabetic leg amputations that we do here. He never saw anywhere near as many in Canada because diabetics get far better basic care and don't need them. He went back to Canada, but still sees some of our patients on the side. Your typical American apologist for insurance companies sez "Wooo hooo! Canadian diabetics have to wait forever to get their legs cut off! We're number 1! We have way more amputations!"

If your employer changes your insurance, it's to fuck you over with worse coverage and higher copayments.

All beside the point anyway. Since we now spend twice as much as Canada, we could have all the heroic interventions we wanted if all that money was actually used for health care.

[Joe Bacon]

30. My Canadian friends have NEVER complained about their health care!

The only complaint they have is just how stupid Americans are in defending our asinine system.

[cyclezealot]

26. has it not occured to you health care is bigger than you or I

Its a reason why America is non competitive; regardless of who pays for it. Just because its not coming out of your pocket, does not mean its still raping America of its competitiveness. A plan that lets Insurance companies profit with it's huge golden parachutes, 25% administrative does not help America. Costs are passed on to others, whether it be the cost of your cars, or taxes. Obama's plan just subsidizes the 25% administrative rip off.

[eridani]

7. All that regulation will be expensive, and this country is bankrupt

Why not just eliminate the need for regulating profit-seeking entities as insurers? We don't need to spend more money on health care than we are already spending. We are already paying for universal health care (CARE, not insurance); we just aren't getting it.

[sandnsea]

10. Because people don't want to n/t

[eridani]

14. Right. People just LOVE insurance companies

:sarcasm: We can never meet our health care needs as long as they are in the picture.

[sandnsea]

17. It's come up for a vote in my state

A taxpayer funded system failed and a Constitutional right to health care failed. People don't want it. And most countries actually don't have a single payer system like Canada's. There are public-private partnerships. One only has to look at the VA to know the government doesn't always get it right either.

[eridani]

22. You can never get anything complicated done by initiative

Only stuff like do you want to pay only $30 for car tabs, yes or no. Or should we ban traps that torture cute furry animals. We made that mistake in Washington with a complex proposal. If people aren't sure what it really means, they'll vote no. Initative outcomes are determined by which side has the most money to spread bullshit, and are no indication of what people actually think of complex public policy.

It has to get done through the legislature. The Governator vetoed California's single payer bill (which passed in both houses), but not a single legislator who supported it paid any political price at the polls. Therefore it is politically doable with the right organization--the universal health care groups concluded that the legislature was the way to go when their initiative got creamed at the polls--fewer yes votes than eligibility signatures.

[Riverman]

13. Bull! Stop the War Spending, cut the corporate subsidies, recind the tax cuts for

the top 1 percent by wealth - then there is plenty of money - for true medical care, social security, pre-school for all children, real educations for all young people, and repair and expansion of the nation physical infrastructure, to name a few needs for starters. A Trillion dollars for Iraq? For What - more death, massive life long injuries for thousands and massive profit for war-profiteers? Stop it with the "No money" BS

[eridani]

16. Clinton and Obama are committed to the imperial war machine and private insurance

It's going to be hard to stop being imperialists because it's an iron rice bowl for so many people. If we eliminated private insurance, we wouldn't need the money for health care, so it could go into infrastructure and inventing the next economy.

[cyclezealot]

27. So true

if not for the enormous 25% administrative costs subsidized by Obama's plan; it could be trasnfered to patient care. How novel.

[nosmokes]

2. Amen and amen!

There will not and cannot be any substantive move toward universal single-payer healthcare as long as health insurance companies are part of the equation. The insurance vompanies are a MAJOR part of the problem, sucking time, work hours and money from the system while providing exactly zero in the form of provider or patient support.It's like inviting the arsonist to be a part of the solution in lowering the number of fires.Don't make no sense.

[tom_paine]

3. K & R

[Skittles]

4. nurses are f***ing AWESOME

they tell it like it is because they SEE IT LIKE IT IS

[Riverman]

11. Love the Nurses! and Michael Moore! I've Have Been Screaming

at the TV for months everytime the lying SOB's keep saying they are for "Universal Health" care - forced, mandated or making health insurance slightly more affordable is not health care, it is insurance companies care. Having health insurance did not save that porr 14 yr old girl who died from lack of insurance company approval for a liver transplant. SHAME, SHAME, SHAME.

Facts are it does not matter who gets elected, the mass of Americans will need to organize to force the implementation of actual Universal Medical care as provided in most western countries. Obama, Clinton and McCain are puppets of their corporate overlords. Get used to it people! Even Roosevelt had to be forced to get all of the New Deal program in place by the extremely poor, out-of work people, displaced farmers and abandoned veterens took to the streets and threatened the electeds to take action. Now we have social security, the eight hour work day, workplace protections and on and on.

[trashcanistanista]

12. I agree 100%.

We don't need know stinkin' insurance companies. The California Nurses Association are right on the money about this. It may come to an onslaught of poor and out of work people to get universal single payor healthcare.

[eridani]

18. You can only get real change by asking for what you want--

--not by being wussy and asking for what you think you can get.