Protesters Disrupt Health Care Hearing (VIDEO)

A series of protesters demanding single-payer health care coverage disrupted a Senate Finance Committee roundtable on health care reform Tuesday. At the beginning of the hearing Tuesday morning, a man stood and yelled, "So let me get this straight -- you have 15 seats at the table and not one for single payer? Why is that?"

Committee chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) banged his gavel and said the committee would stand in recess until police restored order. It wasn't long after the disruption ended before another began.

"We need more police," Baucus said, to laughter.

"Is there some place they can watch it on television?" asked ranking committee member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), apparently wanting to offer the protesters a seat on the couch, if not at the table.

The protest was organized by a coalition of groups, including Physicians for a National Health Program and Healthcare-NOW!, that advocates a single-payer or universal health care plan. "Other methods of communication with elected officials have failed in delivering the demand for single-payer national health care as evidenced by the exclusion of single-payer advocates from official hearings on health reform," said a release about the event.

"It's only when people who are living in the park and people who are living on Park Avenue have the same health care that everybody will have high quality health care," said one man. "Single payer now!"

Baucus begged for cooperation.

"Everybody on the committee and everybody in the Congress deeply deeply respects the views of all members of the audience, and all Americans who feel deeply about health care reform, especially those who are worried about a single payer system or public option who really do fervently believe that is the proper result," Baucus said. "We are going to get the best result here the more we can have an orderly discussion as to how we can best reform the health care system, so I want to say to everyone, especially those of you who might be inclined to stand up, I urge you not to so we can proceed with the hearing."

UPDATE: Katie Robbins, assistant national coordinator with Healthcare-NOW!, tells the Huffington Post that eight people were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and disruption of Congress.

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Comments

[hilary916]

WDW505 :

What do you suggest be done? You can agree that something has to be done to fix the system, right? How do you think it should be reformed?

[jinsei]

He (or she) thinks it's fine because he and his family already has his very wonderful $900/mo. private insurance as he claimed, so as along as he's OK so goes the country.

Oh, wait, then he backtracked and said it was about how we would lose our "privacy" if records went online, and then he said that we shouldn't look to government first as a solution. I think that sums it up.

[wdw505]

yes it does ........i am not arguing reform is not needed.......but don't screw up what is working now.....

[wdw505]

the cowards will not post my reply

[jinsei]

Oh, I forgot one- you think you would your fabulous health care standards if our government were to fund a single-payer system.

[wdw505]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/05/05/protesters-disrupt-health_n_196873.html?show_comment_id=23937220#comment_23937220

[Perla]

http://singlepayeraction.org/

[Perla]

What an outrage and embarrassment. Max Baucus maintains that he "deeply respects all views" yet insists upon excluding single-payer from the very discussion designed to determine the best way forward. And he LAUGHS at those who point out the glaring illogic and inequity of it. Disgusting. He sounds like a Bushie.

[Elrey]

I'm retired military. I get excellent health care through my Naval Hospital and the VA. Sen. Baucus and his fellow govenment workers get the same excellent care. And it's FREE. Well, not really. It's paid for by my fellow citizen taxpayers. We are the beneficiaries of a Single Payer system. Teabaggers call it "socialized medicine." Let 'em. Can someone explain to me why I and Baucus and company are more deserving of our "free" healthcare than the factory worker, the student, the nurse, the firefighter, the housewife, the child... you get the drift. Because I don't understand why I'm so special. I'll be happy to pay my share of taxes so that ALL Americans are covered.

[Artemis34]

Elrey, you earned your care by risking your life in service of your country which is much more than I can say for most of our politicians these days.

Your question, I think, is "Should health care be a basic human right guaranteed to all?"

I would say yes, you are right, it is a basic human right.

[hilary916]

Wish more people thought like you do.

[jinsei]

You truly have a great spirit. Don't ever change!

[helonias]

You ARE a christian.

Thanks

[landj]

Elrey,
Your attitude represents true patriotism. Thank you for expressing yourself so honestly. We in America are called by our ideals to be as family. This attitude, represented by the for profit health care industry, of dog eat dog and the devil take the hindmost is anathema to everything our ideals (both secular and religious) guide us toward.
Many wonderful comments here, and all the members of the finance committee need to hear from you all!
http://finance.senate.gov/sitepages/committee.htm

[RN4MERCY]

Was that Baucus channeling Bush today, "we need more police!"
That says it all....he's "waterboarding" single payer... while the insurance company pirates escape with their unrestrained ability to continue to hijack profits and toss precious people overboard in the sea of despair and death.
Shame on him.

[UsofA]

Thank you for speaking up to these pontificating Senators, keep up the pressure for single payer everyone. We get the health care we're willing to settle for, let's not settle.

[jinsei]

Wow , there are so many SELFISH trolls here. All I here from is ME ME ME ME, but wait, me!

It is NOT OK to allow a country that used to be the richest in the world to let more than 50 million Americans go without access to basic heath care. It simply not OK, and that's the end of it.

[wdw505]

i agree with that statement.......but don't change my health care coverage......i don't want medicaid for my family you can keep it

[jinsei]

OMFG, there should be no Medicaid or Medicare but just a base national insurance system with supplemental private insurance if people so choose. Actually, it IS about you.

I really wish you would lose your job and suffer financial hardships.
My father, a dentist, had expensive insurance, and yet my mom spent a year fighting with them after he died of lymphoma. You absolutely don't deserve to live in this country, in my opinion. I will always be concerned about the lives of others, and I will always be willing to sacrifice for the public good. You, though, have made it clear that you won't.

[jinsei]

Oh no, I meant 'hear' not 'here.' Embarrassing.

[unite4change]

Our politicans or our employees have been allowed to run rampant because we have not been involved. In order for our democracy to function properly, we must be involved in the process. Our politicans have counted on us not being involved. But we voted for change, and if you voted for change, you must stay involved.

[RoseMerry]

YES! Single payer or NOTHING! We deserved the health care that we are all paying for but the rich are soaking in!

[unite4change]

We can always thank the GOP for squeezing money out of everything and everybody while their poor uniformed voters continue to believe their propaganda. The GOP is about big business period. In fact, they are responsible for our current healthcare systems.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QkgUkM0o6Q

[flossophy]

Uhh... didn't LBJ start Medicare / Medicaid?

Haven't the Democrats been running the show for the vast majority of the last 50 years?

Doesn't Wall Street give more money to Democrats?

Aren't the heads of major Wall Street institutions run by Democrats?

oh yeah... it's always' the GOP's fault... pfft.

[heartofdrakn]

The corporate structure is mainly republican but yes there are democrats. Both are working from the corps. Both are sell outs to the corps.

[wdw505]

well said

[unite4change]

Please contact members of the Finance Committee - 111th Congress - 2009 and let them know we want the same healthcare we pay for and provide to them and their families - Single Payer:

Democrats:

http://baucus.senate.gov/contact/emailForm.cfm?subj=issue - Montana

http://rockefeller.senate.gov/ - West Virginia

http://conrad.senate.gov/ - North Dakota

http://bingaman.senate.gov/ - New Mexico

http://kerry.senate.gov/ - Massachusetts

http://lincoln.senate.gov/ - Arkansas

http://wyden.senate.gov/ - Oregon

http://schumer.senate.gov/ - New York

http://stabenow.senate.gov/ - Michigan

http://cantwell.senate.gov/ - Washington

http://billnelson.senate.gov/ - Florida

http://menendez.senate.gov/ - New Jersey

http://carper.senate.gov/ - Delaware


Republicans:

http://grassley.senate.gov/ - Iowa

http://hatch.senate.gov/public/ - Utah

http://snowe.senate.gov/public/ - Maine

http://kyl.senate.gov/ - Arizona

http://bunning.senate.gov/public/ - Kentucky

http://crapo.senate.gov/ - Idaho

http://roberts.senate.gov/public/ - Kansas

http://ensign.senate.gov/public/ - Nevada

http://enzi.senate.gov/public/ - Wyoming

http://cornyn.senate.gov/public/ - Texas

[wdw505]

we don't want that

[Jeany]

Ummm.... if this thread is any indication, you'd better speak up, too, because you're seriously outnumbered.

As I said elsewhere, if you like what you have, private or employer provided insurance, you're probably not going to lose it. The status quo has a very heavy hand on the scale, and those of us who want change know we're going to have to make a lot of noise.

[UsofA]

Then under Obama's plan, you could keep your private coverage as is. But why would you deny single payer to those who both want it and are willing to pay for it?

[Renee27]

Here is Health Care segment in its entirety on C-SPAN online

http://cspan.org/Watch/Media/2009/05/05/HP/R/18215/Senate+Cmte+Continues+discussion+on+Health+Care+Reform.aspx

[iceage7]

Nothing will ever happen in congress because our political system is corrupted with big business donations. Remove that incentive then congress will be for the people by the people. But we can scream to these legislators as much as we want but they are beholden to big business. CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM is the only way out to get affordable health care, education, energy etc. Big business and congresmen and women are all beholden to corporations with powerful lobbyists

[wdw505]

so you want tax and cap to go into play......is that correct

[Reighben Labilles]

The United States is the wealthiest state in the world. UK, Canada, and France are states with less wealth compared to the US yet all three of them have universal healthcare. UK and France have corporate and income taxes up at the 40s yet no one is complaining. All of them are willing to pitch in to help society-at-large so that everyone can avail of free healthcare, education, and other social services. Goodness, France even has a gov nanny services that it provides to single parents for free!

Why can't the US do the same? Is it because the legislature is so controlled by greedy corporations that it has no room for collective social upliftment?

[wdw505]

it is that a lot of people do not wish to give control of their health care decisions to the government

[Jeany]

Don't count me in that group. We ARE the government, and we're perfectly capable of running a terrific system.

[Heartlight3]

Yeah, they would rather give it to Health Insurance Corporation bureaucrats. At least the object of the Government's game would not be to make the most profit.

[unite4change]

Wdw505, please stop referring to the government in third person. The American people are the government. Any way, the insurance companies already have control because they decide what they will and will not pay for or cover.

Let me suggest you take a civic course to get a better understanding of our democracy.

[hilary916]

Who do you think controls it now? It's not you and your doctor. It's your insurance company.

[MarkInEugene]

The people are fruxtrated...we have a f-u system...and nothing ever changes.