R.E.M. And MoveOn.org Team Up For Health Care Ad (VIDEO)

An R.E.M. song provides the soundtrack for a new video from MoveOn.org in support of health care reform. The ad, which uses personal stories to make a case for a public option, uses the slogan "We Can't Afford To Wait" to emphasize the urgency for far-reaching reform. MoveOn members from all walks of life hold up handmade signs explaining how their medical conditions or those of loved ones rendered them out of money and almost out of hope. The series of images is touching and plays towards an emotional reaction, which is only enhanced by the strained pleading of Michael Stipe's vocals over a lonely mandolin. Everybody hurts indeed.

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Comments

[mdlw]

Reading the article linked below, I learned that the history of health care began for the most part in the 1920s by Baylor Hospital in Dallas. The administrator created a system that eventually evolved into Blue Cross. Blue Cross was essentially a non-profit health insurer with no restrictions that served a community in exchange for a tax break. In the 1940s, commercial insurers entered the field. Private insurers accelerated when businesses wanted to compete for labor by contracting with insurers to get around a wage control.

Truman proposed a national health care plan but was defeated by opponents because the nonprofit sector was doing just fine. Yet, as the private insurers entered the business, they rejiggered premiums by calculating relative risk, and avoided the riskiest potential customers. To survive, the Blues evolved into a for profit corporation as well.

I learned from the article that a socialist system became a capitalist system where CEOs are now making millions while cutting corners for profit. Those corners are lives. I agree with the author, capitalism cannot deliver decent health care. This country needs a single payer insurance program.

The following article by Tim Noah discusses Jonathan Cohn's new book.
http://www.slate.com/id/2161736/

CEO info
http://sickforprofit.com/ceos/

http://sickforprofit.com/

[Dbos]

Does not even adress medical bankruptcy

[Dbos]

Brings tears to your eyes and anger in you. Dont give up ,keep pressing on for universal single payer.

[mergina]

Corporate America is the reason America is the sickest nation in the World. They want it that way. They are responsible for the poisons in all that you see on your grocery shelves. They want it that way. It is them that control what the medical profession has to work with in treating life threatening illness, toxic poisons designed to destroy a cancer cell that causes more cancer. They want it that way. Corporate America OWNS Washington. They want it that way. Getting a health care reform bill passed that actually works for the common man? Not likely. They want it that way.

[MAH999]

How we resolve this tells the world who we are.

[Harvee Wallbanger]

I think everybody knows someone that has been screwed over by the status quo.

[revhatchell]

it's about time some star power showed up.

where the ell is will.i.am for healthcare? target won't let 'em?

[BikeFreak]

Those who oppose healthcare reform either have a financial stake in the status quo, or they simply take for granted what they have.

Anti reformers needs to have strokes while protesting. Then maybe they will understand.

[Khirad]

Looked like a lot of rationing going on -- NOW!

[Suntio]

For the life of me I can't understand how those who oppose universal health care (the majority of whom call themselves Christians) don't think that one day they will stand before God and be answerable for their actions. What did Jesus do to the sick? Did he turn them away, tell them to get a job? WWJD? These people have sold their souls.

[Suntio]

This ad made me cry. There are real people behind the stories on those cards. It could be me or my daughter or you, your father, your sister, your neighbor. Some of us are just lucky that we're not sick yet or we (for now) still have insurance. How can the repiggiecans not get that they're not among the uninsured/underinsured/dropped/bankrupt due to the luck of the draw, who can turn at any time.

How cold-hearted does one have to be to deny these people the right to live (aka healthcare)? How is this possible in America?

[AlDavidson]

Great video really hits home, I think their signs should read single payer instead of public option. Your economy would start its recovery a lot sooner with single payer. A lot of American companies operate in Canada as a direct result of lower cost due to health care, employers in Canada can pay employees better wages due to low health care cost , here in Canada you never have to worry about loosing your health care when changing jobs, if you loose your job you still have your health care, or if you start your own business you don't have to worry about health care or that of your employees. My brother was diagnosed with kidney cancer 2 years ago, 3 days after his diagnoses he was recovering from an operation to remove his cancerous kidney, today he is completely cancer free, it did not cost a penny nor should it, I would hope this would be the type of care that should be offered to all citizens of every country especially a country as rich as the US. Pulling for you here in Canada.

[lazercat2008]

Send some money so we can get the message out.

[dmkgge]

Attended a local Tea Party healthcare opposition meeting tonight to hear the opposing view. Organizing for America (Obama's site) listed the event and invited supporters of reform to rally. There were TWO pro healthcare reform signs being held up by two teenagers. These poor kids got pasted by the loons. Have we all lost the will to rally (in person) for reform, myself included? Where is the passion and resolve?

[Schneb]

I get so mad at the Insurance companies and start (silently) cursing them and then I think of the scene in the Helen Hunt/Jack Nicholas movie "As Good as it Gets" (1997) when Hunt's character finally gets some good medical care for her son and hears how insurance was part of the problem of NOT getting it--and she curses them out (not silently). The line got applause in movie theaters. In 1997. Why has it take so long--and we're still not certain of finally cutting lose from those @$#%*&% blood-sucking insurance companies?

Now IS the time!