Looks Like Single Payer Is Being Left Off The Plate

[balantz]

Run time: 07:15 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxEbA-cZfhk   Posted on YouTube: May 14, 2009 By YouTube Member: Views on YouTube: 0   Posted on DU: May 14, 2009 By DU Member: balantz Views on DU: 2444

 

[bkkyosemite]

1. Medicare for everyone would not make us go broke...I am mad!

[ecstatic]

11. Did you understand what he said?

It wasn't just about the cost of single payer but about how the health industry in its current form is 1/6 of the US economy. You thought the country would be in trouble if the big banks failed? Or the auto industry failed? Well try having an industry that is 1/6 of our economy put out of operation. COUNTLESS jobs lost as COUNTLESS businesses close.

If you want something you have to figure out a way to do it that makes sense. Asking for it and thinking it can be done like magic is not enough. Additionally, social security and medicare ARE going broke. That is a fact. Now do you have a real solution or just idealism?

[bkkyosemite]

17. HR 676

As long as we allow the insurance companies to run our healthcare the cost will be outrageous. Our life will remain in their hands and in jeapody. Without them in the mix the cost of healthcare will be substantially less. The corporate owning of our government is what is going on here.

[cascadiance]

But that doesn't excuse NOT TALKING about single payer!

Run time: 07:15 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxEbA-cZfhk   Posted on YouTube: May 14, 2009 By YouTube Member: Views on YouTube: 0   Posted on DU: May 14, 2009 By DU Member: cascadiance Views on DU: 2444

 
He said himself that if he were going to start from scratch, he'd probably shoot for doing single payer health care. IF he's thinking of that as the most desirable option without other "considerations", then shouldn't we at least be talking about it in these hearings so that we can compare what's being offered and what is our ideal system?

It's being kept out, because those moneyed interests don't want for us to even look at it as an option. They want to dictate what options we have, so that they can continue to control where the "leeched" money goes to.

No, NOONE is saying that we should ONLY talk about single payer health care and not consider what the effects are on the current system. But until you face those questions, you're always going to be putting yourself in the corner and not dealing with the fundamental problems we've cornered ourselves into.

If social security and medicare are going broke, BECAUSE THOSE THAT PAY FOR MOST OF IT ARE THE ONES THAT ARE GOING BROKE BY DESIGN with this REGRESSIVE tax that is funding it, we should REMOVE the cap on payroll tax altogether so that the ones that are getting all of the wealth directed towards themselves in the present system that allows them to buy off congress pay more of their fair share.

And if people complain that this will raise taxes on those making between $100k and $250k, drop the rates so that it isn't. Then all of those under $250k will get a much needed tax cut too!

The reason why we're going broke is because the wealthy are buying off congress to get more money and not pay their fair share of our government's bills!

[bkkyosemite]

62. Let's hope this is good news. Just received this email from Dean. I know it's for a donation but the

information is interesting:

**********************************


On Monday, we asked for your help fighting Republicans and right-wing attack groups -- like Conservatives for Patient Rights run by health insurance giant Rick Scott.

When Rick Scott, whose for-profit hospital chain is infamous for defrauding Medicare, puts $1 million of his riches behind ads intended to scare Americans about a public option, we're not sitting on our hands waiting to see what happens.

Thanks to you, we've already begun fighting back.

We've unleashed more than 35,000 letters to the editor of local newspapers and thousands of calls to Senators. Dr. Dean is already campaigning on TV appearances and at local events nationwide. This June, he will present all 330,000 (and growing) petition signatures and comments to members of Congress on the steps of the Capitol. Soon, activists will be going door-to-door to talk with their neighbors about the choice, competition and comfort offered through the public option.

We will get healthcare for all this year, if we have the resources to deliver.

Contribute $50 right now and power the campaign

This campaign is working. Sen. Ben Nelson claimed he would put together a coalition of conservative Democrats to oppose a public option. That was two weeks ago and so far he's the only member of the "coalition."

In fact, even conservative "Democrat" Sen. Arlen Specter, who we've been pressuring hard with the threat of a serious primary challenge, has stepped back from his previous statements and now claims he will consider voting for a public option. And just days ago, Sen. Kristen Gillibrand publicly stated she too will vote for a public healthcare option.

We're gaining ground everyday, but we'll need at least 50 Senators in full support to win. With legislation moving fast -- time is running out.

Contribute Today

Thank you for working to make change happen.

-Mia

Mia Moore, Finance Director
Democracy for America

[snowdays]

35. Obama has succeeded in scaring you just like the RW does. Read

Robert Reich's latest column. it is 75 years until we worry about the other things. Educate yourself instead of sucking up all the juice from the WH and or congress.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

60. the insurance co's will go bankrupt - let them. they drive prices up and cut services

I have no pity for these parasites.

We cannot compete in the world market if we do not have national single payer health care.

Private insurance is tooo expensive and not necessary.

Insurance is just a middle man who makes profit off of something we don't need a middle man for.

[waiting for hope]

2. Rec and Kick -

:mad: I'm so pissed I could ...

[FiveGoodMen]

3. Unexcusable

Plenty of money for everything else, it seems...

Not sure he's on America's side.

[howmad1]

4. Would you buy a used car from this guy?

Man, am I getting annoyed with his waffling. Sure looks like a smooth as silk con artist.

[cooolandrew]

5. ..

...

[shadowknows69]

6. How much you want to bet the town hall meetings get less frequent?

[Thrill]

12. Why? he's not scared to answer questions

[snowdays]

16. Of course not, when he can 'fib" and no one-including the media calls him on it.

[Thrill]

23. I've yet to see him 'fib' in one of these townhalls

.

[snowdays]

25. And he does it with such a straight face.

[uberblonde]

7. I think I smell a corporate centrist!

Can't afford to insure everyone? Can't afford NOT to!

[Thrill]

13. I smell a realist. Who knows what he has to work with in Congress

.

[snowdays]

15. He is scaring the people by telling them they will have to switch docs, etc

Shame on him.

[Thrill]

20. That was not what he was doing

.

[RufusTFirefly]

54. Bullshit: I smell cowardice

Neither the President nor Congress seems willing to give single-payer a seat at the table. If this country's insurance-subsidized politicians are so certain that single-payer is inferior to all the other insurance and pharmaceutical suck-up proposals, then why are they afraid to give the single-payer representatives a chance to make their case officially instead of forcing them to enter the discussion as hecklers?

Let single-payer get shot down legitimately during a balanced democratic debate instead of waging a pre-emptive strike against it.

[syrius]

8. Uh, uh, Mr. President, uh, uh...

Families going broke, Businesses getting crushed by health care premiums, Medicare going broke by...
...Wait...
...For...
...It...
...The HealthCare Insurance Companies driving the EFFIN' Boat!

Who got to you, Mr. President?

You're losing all types of credibility as you try to keep your potential donors in business while they suck the living life out of all of us. Good thing you don't have to worry about health care for the rest of your life. Too bad you forgot about the people who voted for you.

We've been sucker punched and duped into believing this dog & pony show!

Single Payer HealthCare Now!

[Thrill]

10. He was never for Single Payer

And he's right, it would take to long to implement. And its just not a reality. Little support for it in Senate. You have to work your way to Single Payer. Getting cost down with a Public Option is the way to go right now.

[bkkyosemite]

19. As long as he allows Insurance Companies to control healthcare we will never have a better system.

They have not committed to being part of the solution. Hell will freeze over before they do and they have our lives in their hands. You got to start somewhere with implementation. But the insurance companies will have a fit if that is tried. Corporates still rules D.C.

[Thrill]

21. I'll agree with you if there is no public option

If the Democrats don't have a public option in this reform. I would join you in being pissed. That is the test to me.

[Dragonfli]

36. Do you agree that the Schumer "modeled exactly like insurance" "public option"

So that the ICs can "compete on a level playing field" is not a real public option and designed to fail?

[slipslidingaway]

38. Not true...Video "I happen to be a proponent of single-payer HC..."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpAyan1fXCE

In edit - This was 2003 when campaigning for the US Senate.

[bkkyosemite]

9. His committment during the campaign was Universal healthcare with a small difference from Hilary's.

He said everyone would have healthcare that was the same as the Congressional healthcare...He is not saying that now!

Don't you remember those comments he made when in a debate with Hilary where he said our plans are not much different. And the only difference in their Universal plans were that one wanted it mandated for all to pay premiums and the other (Obama)wanted all children mandated. I am an Obama Mama and I worked very hard for President Obama but I am seeing this as a change and not for the good. The ole corporate pressure is happening. My reason for voting for him was Universal Healthcare and no taxes for the elderly which I think will not happen. I hope I'm wrong.

The insurance companies were not going to be running the boat he said during the campaign...oh oh...I see the captain of the boat and on his cap it says AIG!

[snowdays]

14. ***Single payer section***Obama town hall transcript...

Forum Name General Discussion: Presidential
Topic subject Obama town hall transcript
Topic URL http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x8407835#8407835
8407835, Obama town hall transcript
Posted by DrToast on Thu May-14-09 03:26 PM

http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docID=news-000003117832

Here's the bit on single-payer.


Q: Oh, thank you. Thank you, Mr. President. I work for one of the large corporations here. But I talk to a lot of people about health care. My question is, so many people go bankrupt using their credit cards to pay for health care. Why have they taken single-payer off the plate? (Applause.) And why is Senator Baucus on the Finance Committee discussing health care when he has received so much money from the pharmaceutical companies? Isn’t it a conflict of interest? (Applause.)

THE PRESIDENT: Well, as you know, I campaigned vigorously on health care reform, and I think that we have a better chance of getting it done this year than we’ve had in decades. I am optimistic about us getting health care reform done.

Now, health care is one-sixth of our economy, so it is a complicated, difficult task. And Congress is going to have to work hard. And everybody is going to have to come at this with a practical perspective, as opposed to trying to be ideologically pure in getting it done.

Here are my principles in terms of health care: Number one, we’ve got to control costs across the system, because if we simply insured everybody under the current system, we couldn’t afford it -- we’d go broke. The fact of the matter is, is that families are seeing their premiums go up -- skyrocket each and every year. Businesses are getting crushed by the rising costs of their employees’ health care. And the federal government -- Medicare and Medicaid -- is going broke. That’s the single biggest driver, by the way, of our deficits.

I want everybody to be clear about this, because driving in I saw some folks who were saying, what are you going to do about debt, et cetera. Listen, by far the biggest contributor to our national debt and our annual deficit is the costs of Medicare and Medicaid -- as well as the other entitlement, Social Security -- defense, and interest on the national debt. That’s the lion’s share of the federal budget.

The things you read about in the newspapers and you see on TV about earmarks -- I want to get rid of earmarks, but the truth of the matter, they’re only 1 percent of the entire budget. Most of what’s driving us into debt is health care. And so we’ve got to drive down costs.

Now, here is some good news. There are ways that we can drive down costs, because we just have an inefficient system. If we emphasize prevention and wellness programs; if we help -- (applause) -- if we -- so that we’re reimbursing doctors and providers not just for treating people after they get sick but for helping people stay well if we use medical technology to reduce error rates and ensure electronic medical billing so when you go to the hospital, you don’t have 15, 20 forms that you have to fill out over and over and over again.

There are simple things that we can do that will save us money, so we need to focus on cost, that’s number one.

Number two, I think that it is very important that we provide coverage for all people, because if everybody’s got coverage then they’re not going to the emergency room for treatment. (Applause.) And right now, if you’ve got health insurance, the average family is paying about $900 a year in additional hidden costs because you’re subsidizing the folks who are going to the emergency room.

And so you’d be better off with a system that might cost the federal government overall a little bit more -- and we do have to pay for that -- but that would lower your premiums so that you don’t have these hidden costs, because it’s cheaper to treat a child for asthma with an inhaler than it is to have them go to the emergency room and take up a hospital bed. So that’s the second principle.

Now, this brings to the last principle, and so this touches on your point, and that is, why not do a single-payer system. (Applause.) Got the little single-payer advocates up here. (Applause.) All right. For those of you who don’t know, a single-payer system is like -- Medicare is sort of a single-payer system, but it’s only for people over 65, and the way it works is, the idea is that you don’t have insurance companies as middlemen. The government goes directly -- (applause) -- and pays doctors or nurses.

If I were starting a system from scratch, then I think that the idea of moving towards a single-payer system could very well make sense. That’s the kind of system that you have in most industrialized countries around the world.

The only problem is that we’re not starting from scratch. We have historically a tradition of employer-based health care. And although there are a lot of people who are not satisfied with their health care, the truth is, is that the vast majority of people currently get health care from their employers and you’ve got this system that’s already in place. We don’t want a huge disruption as we go into health care reform where suddenly we’re trying to completely reinvent one-sixth of the economy.

So what I’ve said is, let’s set up a system where if you already have health care through your employer and you’re happy with it, you don’t have to change doctors, you don’t have to change plans -- nothing changes. If you don’t have health care or you’re highly unsatisfied with your health care, then let’s give you choices, let’s give you options, including a public plan that you could enroll in and sign up for. That’s been my proposal. (Applause.)

Now, obviously as President I’ve got to work with Congress to get this done and -- (laughter.) There are folks in Congress who are doing terrific work, they’re working hard. They’ve been having a series of hearings. I’m confident that both the House and the Senate are going to produce a bill before the August recess. And it may not have everything I want in there or everything you want in there, but it will be a vast improvement over what we currently have.

We’ll then have to reconcile the two bills, but I’m confident that we are going to get health care reform this year and start putting us on a path that’s sustainable over the long term. (Applause.) That’s a commitment I made during the campaign; I intend to keep it.

[cornermouse]

18. k and r.

[edc]

22. There is no way,

our so called elected representative will gut their 800 lb. campaign cash cows unless they are afraid not to, and who's afraid of the will of the electorate? If they boot Tweedledum, Tweedledee takes over until the people replace him again with Tweedledum.

[suzanner]

24. I know my boss will just dump our insurance

and tell us all to go on the gov't plan. Employers are just that way. Health insurance is the largest liability the employee has. Even with the plans available, it is only a partial "health care" at best. Obama underestimates the corporate greed and where this will lead to. If he thinks this will be revisited in the future and single payer will happen, it will be over a lot of people's poor dedd courpsis.

[Postman]

26. We're subsidizing the folks in the Corporate Boardrooms too, Obama...

So we have to be tied to a failed system because it's "tradition"?!?!...Give me a break. It wasn't "tradition" until WWII....I guess we were untraditional before then?!?.... Slavery was "traditional" in this country until people had the courage to take on wealthy interests. You like to read about Abe Lincoln, Mr Obama. Try to find some intestinal fortitude to match his courage.

"Health care reform" is a rhetorical dodge of the single-payer system issue...

"Universal health care" is political speak in which assumed definitions of phrases are redefined by politicians to mean something other than what they are assumed to mean....

--"Universal Health care", to me, indicates a single payer system. To the snake oil selling politician it means everyone has health insurance, just that not everyone has health insurance through a single payer system....

[bkkyosemite]

29. or not everyone has healthcare like Congress...

[RufusTFirefly]

27. "Got the little single-payer advocates up here."

Aw gee. Aren't they cute?

Interesting way of putting it, Mr. President.

Do I detect some corporatist condescension?

Nah. Couldn't be.

[balantz]

30. Things like the condescensions stick out like sore thumbs to me n/t

[bkkyosemite]

31. The problem is the WHOLE audience applauded when she first asked the question and he never said a

thing about Baucus and that conflict of interest.

[snowdays]

33. Nor that SP were NOT invited to chat with him but Insurance

companies were.

[bkkyosemite]

28. In this video he did not say and is not using the words Universal Healthcare or like the Congress'

healthcare...he now says Healthcare Reform......reform who...the insurance companies..not in a million years. They are the reason for the season and expensive healthcare and prescriptions. They need to be stripped of control over our bodies.

[DU GrovelBot]

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[bkkyosemite]

34. Ed Shultz just was on with Bernie Sanders re: this video. Sanders said that the

Pharma and Insurance industry have enormous power in Washington and they are not going to let a public option on the table and he thinks Obama knows that.

What can we do to Pharma and Insurance to let them know we won't stand for them getting in our way to have healthcare for all without their intervention.

If we all said no premiums for 6 months would that help. We have to get this enormous power to stop. What is behind this power I would like to know...a threat...or the Bildeburgs what is behind this power, blackmail..hmmm what?

[Dragonfli]

37. The power is money - simply money - donated to purchase our representatives

It is quite simple - no need to imagine blackmail or Bildeburgs.

[slipslidingaway]

39. We cannot afford SP and keep the For Profit companies profiting

from basic coverage, maybe that is what P. Obama was saying.

:shrug:

[99 Percent Sure]

40. Though I like the idea of Single Payer, I'm not wedded to it because...

in my research on health care reform, I was forced to consider the cost of implementing single payer, particularly in this Depression. Frankly, the president covered some excellent points in the townhall meeting.

Obama--and some DUers--are right: Given what he has to work with in the Congress, and how entrenched the scamming thieves insurance companies are within our economic system, starting over would be a huge mess. . . . Besides, Obama never campaigned with single-payer on his platform.

Really, the only candidate whose health care policy I liked was John Edwards' by way of Elizabeth Edwards.

Neither the Empire State Building, nor the Washington Monument, nor the Lincoln Memorial, nor Rome was built in a day or even 112 days. It's easy to be reactionary, and this is coming from someone who is not only unemployed, but hasn't had health insurance in years.

[bkkyosemite]

56. He did too campaign with single payer note video above.

[RufusTFirefly]

59. But why won't they even give single-payer a chance to play?

Both the President and the Senate are powerful enough to fix the contest and make single-payer look like a loser. But for some reason they won't even let it play.

What are they afraid of?

If single-payer is really a bad solution then this should come out in a fair discussion.

I wasn't born yesterday. I realize the deck is totally stacked on so many issues. But Sweet Jeebus, I've rarely witnessed such an egregious example of corporate control of the national debate.

[bjobotts]

41. Bullshit...I'm outraged. Medicare is biggest debt becasue it is only...

[bjobotts]

43. only available to the elderly and handicapped.If everyone had Medicare it would be easily solvent

[bjobotts]

44. The healthcare industry is sure putting billions in preventing public option-why

[bjobotts]

45. Because it would be so successful it would put private ins.out of business.

[bjobotts]

46. Don't lower private ins profits and tell me that is reform...Bullshit.

[bjobotts]

47. 2.6% of your income taxes go toward gov helathcare. 5% would insure everyone and be

[bjobotts]

48. and be only as much as 10% of what you now pay.Listen to Kucinich not Obama

[boston bean]

42. why the hell is he calling SS and Medicare ENTITLEMENT Programs????? nt

[bjobotts]

49. Because our taxes pay for it so we can have it.Therefiore we're entitled to it

[bjobotts]

50. Bacus and Obama's idea of reform is getting the private ins to take less money for coverage

[bjobotts]

51. Watch how they avoid saying single payer when they say affordability or reform

[bjobotts]

52. Reform = CEOs take less salary and bonuses...for awhile and are subsidized by gov to cover more peop

[bjobotts]

53. Save Trillions by eliminating private ins and Medicare FOR ALL

[bkkyosemite]

58. RIGHT ON!!! We cannot let this go without a fight!

[bkkyosemite]

57. Absolutely! That's what Obama was avoiding today...

[boston bean]

55. Republicans call SS and Medicare entitlement programs

they use it to leave the impression that people are getting something for free. It is not something people get for free.

I have never heard a democrat call SS and Medicare entitlements until Obama.

[idlisambar]

61. Exactly what he talked about in the campaign

What is new here?

A public option is what he sold us during the campaign. Not sure why anyone would expect him to go further than that when in office.