The Promise of Universal Health Care: An Open Letter to President Obama

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The PROMISE--perhaps.........

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-behzad-mohit/the-promise-of-universal_b_203159.html

Dr. Behzad Mohit

Author, Physician
Posted: May 14, 2009 10:27 AM

The Promise of Universal Health Care: An Open Letter to President Obama

Dear Mr. President,

You have given us the "audacity of hope" and the promise of change. You have vociferously indicated that our health care system is in need of major change. You have said that 50 million Americans are uninsured. Medicare is moving toward bankruptcy and taking down the economy with it. But where is the change, Mr. President?

It seems that the for-profit segment of the health care industry (pharmaceutical companies, AMA and the American Hospital Association) have got your ear. The same special interests that have given us the most expensive, poorest quality health care among developed countries (37th rank) are now suddenly pretending to be champions of reform.

Frankly, their legislative agenda is a patent effort to stop the public demand for a meaningful universal health care system through a single payer. They believe as long as they throw the dog a bone and push some sort of half measure through congress they will be taking the wind out of the sails of the public push for (God forbid) a nonprofit, single payer system. It reminds us of the multi-year attempt of the cigarette industry to wage a "stop smoking" campaign! The present push for fast-track legislation is once again putting the fox in charge of the chicken coop.

So far, all the talk seems to equate a single payer system with "government-run socialized medicine." We know that over the years the for-profit health care industry has spent millions of dollars to demonize "socialized medicine." Therefore, in the eyes of most people a government-run program is a non-starter. It is thought of in terms of long lines, poor service and increased tax burden. This myth is generally embedded in the public mind, despite the fact that all the developed countries have a more or less government-run service with universal coverage, giving much better care at half our per capita cost.

But let's not go down this path at all, which would require a major shift in public perceptions. ..............:daily:

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1. Obama Massive Fail - Precluding Single Payer Consideration

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2. and the Dems who agree with Obama--

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3. Massive Failure For Them As Well By Supporting A President That Campaigned On Transparency & Dialog

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4. Which makes it so hard to understand why he just will not listen. Shameful.

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5. Agreed

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6. FREE FAX---TO BAUCUS AND COMMITTEE MEMBERS HERE...........

http://www.1payer.net/campaigns/everyone-in.html