This is part 2. Part 1 is part news and about Sotomayer's hearing.
"Howard Dean on His Prescription for Real Healthcare Reform
"The House Ways and Means Committee approved legislation early this morning to overhaul the nations healthcare system and expand insurance coverage. By a 23-to-18 vote, the committee backed key elements of President Obamas blueprint for healthcare, including the creation of a new government health plan and requirements for employers to offer health insurance to workers or contribute to its cost. To help fund the changes to the healthcare system, the House committee also agreed to impose a surtax on families with incomes of more than $350,000 a year. Meanwhile, the conservative American Medical Association has just come out in support of the House bill, saying the status quo is unacceptable. Today we spend the hour with Howard Dean, physician, six-term Vermont governor, Democratic presidential candidate in 2004, and former chairman of the Democratic National Committee. Deans solution embraces President Obamas healthcare plan but argues that the reform bill is not worth passing unless the American people have the choice of signing up for a public option—a real public option."
Here is part 3.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hDsGXmPkCsAnd parts 4.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQFygmCcV_AI don't see part 5 yet.
Here is part of the transcript and
some other thoughts.AMY GOODMAN: The problem is, they are paying—what was the Washington Post exposé – “The nation’s largest insurers, hospitals and medical groups have hired more than 350 former government staff members”—
HOWARD DEAN: Right.
AMY GOODMAN: —“and retired members of Congress in hopes of influencing their old bosses and colleagues.”
HOWARD DEAN: Right, but this—but, you know, there’s reason to be cynical. We’re on a—we’ve really gone through the most extraordinary election in my lifetime. More people under thirty-five voted in this country than voted who were over sixty-five to elect Barack Obama president of the United States and ask for a real change that we can believe in. This is the test. Are we in charge of the country, or are the insurance executives in charge of the country? And everybody gets to vote on this in Washington. Watch their votes. Watch their votes.
More:
AMY GOODMAN: Governor Dean, we let people know that you were going to be on our show today, and we have been getting calls and questions, emails, tweets, everything from all over the country nonstop for the last twenty-four hours, and we hardly have time for any. But this is one from David Swanson. He asked, do support Representative Kucinich’s amendment to allow states to create single-payer healthcare, if they so choose?
HOWARD DEAN: Sure, absolutely. I’ve always believed that states ought to be able to try different things, and the states—our state was the first state, I think, to have universal healthcare for kids, 99 percent eligible. Massachusetts—actually, Hawaii technically was the first state to do universal healthcare in its entirety, because they were—for technical reasons, it had to do with the Employment Retirement Insurance Security Act . Massachusetts, most recently, has done some groundbreaking things. I absolutely believe that if the people of a state want to try something different, that they ought to be able to try, within the federal framework. And that’s certainly within the federal framework.
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
