Is Obama reneging on true health care reform?
Rx and the Single Payer
Friday 22 May 2009
by: Bill Moyers and Michael Winship, t r u t h o u t | Perspective
In 2003, a young Illinois state senator named Barack Obama told an AFL-CIO meeting, "I am a proponent of a single-payer universal health care program."
Single payer. Universal. That's health coverage, like Medicare, but for everyone who wants it. Single payer eliminates insurance companies as pricey middlemen. The government pays care providers directly. It's a system that polls consistently have shown the American people favoring by as much as two to one.
There was only one thing standing in the way, Obama said six years ago: "All of you know we might not get there immediately because first we have to take back the White House, we have to take back the Senate and we have to take back the House."
Fast forward six years. President Obama has everything he said was needed - Democrats in control of the executive branch and both chambers of Congress. So what's happened to single payer?
(More here.)
Friday 22 May 2009
by: Bill Moyers and Michael Winship, t r u t h o u t | Perspective
In 2003, a young Illinois state senator named Barack Obama told an AFL-CIO meeting, "I am a proponent of a single-payer universal health care program."
Single payer. Universal. That's health coverage, like Medicare, but for everyone who wants it. Single payer eliminates insurance companies as pricey middlemen. The government pays care providers directly. It's a system that polls consistently have shown the American people favoring by as much as two to one.
There was only one thing standing in the way, Obama said six years ago: "All of you know we might not get there immediately because first we have to take back the White House, we have to take back the Senate and we have to take back the House."
Fast forward six years. President Obama has everything he said was needed - Democrats in control of the executive branch and both chambers of Congress. So what's happened to single payer?
(More here.)
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On the subject of health care reform, the Senate is considering a resolution that advocates consumers be given a choice of an affordable, federally-backed option that would be competition to the health insurance establishment.
Noteworthy are the 28 Senator’s comments in support of the resolution – particularly Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Charles E. Schumer (D-NY), Carl Levin (D-MI), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Bob Casey (D-PA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR). Most disappointing is that our Senator, Amy Klobuchar has not signed onto the resolution. If you get a chance, please read the press release and contact her (1-888-224-9043 or e-mail) with your views.
Klobuchar has stated that she believes that health care legislation will be passed this session … but not any legislation will do.
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