The New Republic's The Treatment:
According to a pair of Capitol Hill sources, preliminary estimates from the Congressional Budget Office suggest that a strong public option--the kind that the House of Representatives is putting in its reform bill--should net somewhere in the neighborhood of $150 billion in savings over ten years.
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This debate isn't about the money. All the money necessary for a strong, universal system is already on the table, with plenty of room to spare.
Yeah, Hope its not a savings for health insurance companies. Cost to us.
Intimidation is the key, only thing insurance companies have at their disposal.
The Moyers-Potter interview on PBS's "Journal" is a "must-see" for anyone interested in some truth and honesty about health care from inside the industry.
Please send this link to your representatives in Congress. Let them not pretend to be unaware of the truths exposed in this profound 30-minute interview:
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/07102009/watch2.html
Let us also not be intimidated by knee-jerk Republican scare tactics designed once again to de-rail universal health care for the benefit of profiteers in the industry. Simply put, we need Universal Medicare guaranteed for every American man, woman and child. We should consider terminating Medicaid, special programs for veterans and children, and include EVERYONE under Universal Medicare. Veteran's hospitals can be the spawning grounds where this public plan unfolds.
Medicare has demonstrated single payer public plan CAN work. and work well. Medicare has an overwhelming approval rating and a mere 3% administration tab. It is outrageous to even think a government run program is unworkable, as conservatives are claiming, when it is already proven to work in over 20 countries. Yet "the greatest country in the world" can't get it up and running??? What fools the Republicans think Americans are.
I agree. It was a brilliant piece.
Here's the link for PBS Bill Moyers Journal Show on Single Payer:
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/05222009/watch2.html
The link for Bill Moyer with Wendell Potter, the former Cigna Exec:
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/07102009/watch2.html
Single payer or public. I would like to know where we stand on insuring all of the illegals in this country. I know that they are bankrupting us now with the use of emergency rooms. Are we leaning towards including them in this transition? Would they pay? I am not naive enough to believe that we will act on purging the illegals from this country.
Valid point, but don't let this argument side track you from getting the best health care for YOU and YOUR family.
People are using this argument as a red herring to push the real issues off the table.
Yeah, it's all the fault of the illegal aliens. They force all those insurance companies to pay their executives millions and fly around in private corporate jets. Heaven forbid all those rich white guys who are raking in the cash should be held responsible for the high cost of health insurance.
It is very important to remember $150 Billion is ONLY the savings to the federal government. It reduces the size of the "reference premium" (the cheapest three plans offered) to calculate how much subsidies will be given to individuals to buy insurance. This is not the total savings to the system.
This public plan should be insurance about 16% cheaper than private insurance. You are talking about saving consumers and small businesses hundreds of billions.
And don't forget the immediate economic benefits from not having people lose their homes and declare bankruptcy because of health issues.
And throw in the financial security and stability for their children, as well. Entire families are torn apart by medical bills, of one member.
As I read this story, I realized I didn't know who was a member of the CBO, and was worried that whoever it was would be an honest broker. Not to worry- he is Douglas Elmendorf, a Brookings senior fellow . Brookings is a somewhat left-leaning think tank.
Just for fun, I went to the Brookings website and found this speech by Christina Romer, President of Obama’s Council of Economic Advisors. She was discussing her health care report. Anyone who is interested in the Administration's thinking, here is the link.
http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Files/events/2009/0602_cea_healthcare/20090602_healthcare.pdf
What is astonishing is that they are working towards a 1.5% decrease in health care costs over TEN YEARS. Read it and weep.
Once Single Payer was off the table so was real health care reform. With that one move Obama killed all hope of any significant savings but he made sure the insurance industry wouldn't hate the democratic party so win/win for the Democrats and the Insurance companies.
Pretty much of a loss for the American people but you can't have everything.
I called my Senators Johnny Isakson and Saxby Chambliss (Ga) the other day asking their opinions on Healthcare Reform. Chambliss is against the public option; Isakson will go for public option only if it will keep the private insurance in competition...I'm at a loss for words at both of these opinions when we can sit here and give Gitmo detainees free healthcare for anything they need, but to help out our own hardworking taxpayers there has to be this huge debate. I work for a major health insurance company and it angers me that our people we elected in office care more about the competition of the private industry more than keeping Americans well. Why do people complain about paying taxes if it's to help their own out ? People are becoming so selfish these days it's unbelievable. I'm not rich at all, but as a human being and American do not mind paying higher taxes for causes to help others out like this. What have we become when we can allow people to die in an emergency room waiting area because they have no money or insurance ?
Just maybe the CBO is NOT owned by the same corporations that run Congress!
What do you KNOW the CBO finally did it for the PUBLIC OPTION!
What do you KNOW the PUBLIC OPTION saves MONEY!
NOW do the SINGLE-PAYER as another Baseline!
Now do the "DO NOTHING OPTION" as another Baseline!
Then we have a MORE COMPARATIVE Analysis so the Corporate POWERS can NOT Dominate the Numbers!
I for ONE say, "Thank you CBO for finally doing this and the other TWO analyses above!
Of course the public option will save billions. There should not have been any doubts.
For those clamoring for a single payer system, if the public option works well, it will evolve into that -- that's why insurance companies are afraid of it. If it works really well, it will put them out of business - so what?
On the other hand, if it doesn't work, as conservatives illogically argue, its probably a good idea we didn't jump into a single payer plan so quickly.
The point is -- why not try the public option. The object of health care is not to make insurance companies or hospitals or doctors, for that matter, rich. The object of health care is simply to provide health care.
According to President Obama the "public option" will NEVER become single payer. Personally I strongly doubt that yet another government run plan (we already have medicare, medicaid, and the VA) in a system designed by private insurers will either "work really well" or make any difference at all.
Single Payer Health Insurance was the whole ball of wax for health care reform and President Obama took it off the table before we even got started.
Of course, YOUR VESTED INTEREST IS SHOWING!
Pull up your pants!
Somehow the right-wing gets to frame the debate again. The Left would be much wiser to continue to campaign for single payer because then we might end up with a public option. As the debate moves right to whether or not there should be a public option....? We very well might end with nothing. Pull to the Left, mateys! Single payer!
As the economy continues its free-fall, a single payer system really does looks increasingly sensible.
I'm sorta surprised that more businesses are for single payer. Take that burden off of them, they can make even more money.
are not for.
Yes a public plan will save money. I'm a strong advocate of it and think it is one of the core parts of comprehensive health care reform. But everyone keeps the biggest key of health care reform out... Read this to find out more - http://bit.ly/9QLV8
Yes, more public money ought to be devoted to public health education. Let's put a tax on anything with high-fructose corn syrup in it to pay for education that will counter the millions of dollars advertising debilitating crap.
I knew it!! Nobody goes to the doctor just to go. We go when we need a diagnosis. Now, though, maybe this will be the catalyst to encourage people to go for that once-a-year physical to make sure everything's ok and maybe catch something early that could develop into a real problem.
Can't wait to hear what the Inhofe's, Boehner's and the Blue Dogs have to say on this one. They'll certainly deny it, but I'm anxious to hear their reasoning behind their "no" this time.
Uh ho..... That's a really inconvenient truth for the conservatives. The fact of the matter is that if we put all Americans on Medicare health care would eventually become revenue neutral. Kucinich proved that with the study he did and published.
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First Posted: 07-10-09 10:50 PM | Updated: 07-10-09 10:54 PM