A Choice: "Bi-Partisanship" Vs. Real Healthcare For Americans

Yesterday, Tom Daschle testified in his confirmation hearing for secretary of health and human services. He promised "bi-partisanship", pledging "I really want to work in a collaborative way. It's the only way we're going to get this done." Which made me think: if that is the path we take, millions of Americans will be left ill and bankrupt for another generation or more.

True, to be honest, I am not a supporter of "bi-partisanship". I don't believe that you work together with people who destroyed our economy, are trying to kill labor unions and, just for the heck of it, have devastated the world with an illegal, immoral war. Our message should be: we're in charge now, we're going to fix what you destroyed and we welcome you for the ride--or leave you to explain to voters why you stood in our way.

But, in particular, healthcare is no place for bi-partisanship. We have learned so much about the criminal behavior of the insurance industry, particularly from nyceve and DrSteveB that it defies imagination that we would put do anything short of banishing the private insurance industry from the face of the earth. It would be immoral to do anything less.

In Daschle's remarks, I hear an echo of an extremely dangerous frame:

"When health care reform collapsed in 1994," Mr. Daschle said, "I remember all the criticisms people had after the fact. They said it took too long, they said the process was too opaque, they said the plan was too hard to understand and they said the changes felt too dramatic.

"These are good arguments for undertaking reform in a way that is aggressive, open and responsive to Americans' concerns," he said. "They are not good arguments for ignoring the problem."

Respectfully, former Sen. Daschle is repeating the same frame we heard from Hillary Clinton during the 2008 primaries: the collapse of the health care reform was about opposition to the process and the proposal put forth by the Clinton Administration. That is, the "reform" was so deep that it generated opposition from the healthcare industry.

Part of that story is true: the healthcare industry did oppose the Clinton healthcare plan. But, the conclusion Daschle and others drew from that experience is that what they need to do is "reform" healthcare in a "bi-partisan" manner which means negotiating with the Republicans--and, through Republicans (and too many Democrats), with the private insurance industry.

I would argue that that is the wrong conclusion. The real conclusion that we should reach from the debacle of 1994 is that we have to kill the private healthcare industry. We cannot negotiate with an industry that has no interest in the health of Americans. It's only interest is to make obscene profits.

The only solution is to enact single-payer health care, or, better put, "Medicare for All". It is the only economically sound proposal--the only system that will remove hundreds of billions of dollars of health care costs off the backs of millions of Americans, not to mention the bottom line of small and large businesses throughout the country.

There is not a single Republican that I know of--please correct me if I am wrong--who supports single-payer. So, pardon the expression, when it comes to the health and income security of millions of Americans, screw them and screw "bi-partisanship".

Comments

[JamesHovland]

Clinton's plan was defeated in 1994 because of the massive anti-government propaganda campaign waged against the people by the insurance industry. Read this quote from the 1928 book Propaganda, think about "the true ruling power of our government" and how propaganda as a for-profit service effects our Democracy.

"The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our government." ~ Edward Bernays

This isn't 1994 anymore. Propaganda was very powerful back when TV was high tech, but our circumstances are very different today. The GOP is falling as an inevitable result of the era in which we live, because the 'Right' is not the source of the propaganda as many believe, but rather a product of it. Fear and disinformation are the defining characteristics of the majority of their views. Fear is of the unknown, there is no other kind, thus fear requires the absence of knowledge. Like fear, the power of propaganda crumbles in the light of information.

The people are more knowledgeable now than at any point in history. We have access to information like never before, search engines, news archives, social networks, global communication, blogs, and a comment section on every corner. Welcome to the information era, where the people have a voice, and Democracy is rising.

James Hovland, a product of freedom

[Oldchef]

Like many, I think the only rational solution is Medicare for all citizens. The system is already in place, it works reasonably well, is considerably more efficient than the insurance companies, and, while trying to keep costs down, is not into denying coverage for the sake of profit. We need to have safeguards in place to prevent fraud and double billing and all the other ways providers have tried to game the system, but it works reasonably well and while taxes would have to be put in place to pay for the coverage, it would be a heck of a lot cheaper than what the average family pays for insurance. For those worried about layoffs in the health insurance business, they'd be a heck of a lot less than the layoffs we're seeing in other businesses due to the high costs of providing insurance. Health Care not health Insurance, please!

[Henry]

I think it is Dennis Kucinich who puts it best: " we alreay have social healthcare in this country, it's just that we do it so incompentently" (not an exact quote but essential) Hospitals cannot turn a person away, they take a loss on a procedure, and they shift it, illegally or immorally, in cost accounting allocations to other customers. The ones who bear the brunt of this mess are the ones with no power, the uninsured. Once again, the least amongst us is stuck with the highest per unit cost. It speaks volumes about us. It degrades our civilization and exposes our hypocricy with respect ot christianity.
Ralph Nader takes all of the complication out of the debate when he states "medicare for everyone".

[RightWingMarine]

it's interesting that so many libs fawn over Obama and his pledge to have non-preconditional talks with nations like Iran and Hamas that have the stated goal of the extermination of a people (including us) but to try and work out a health care plan with Republicans is beyond reproach.

The writer also complains that the insurance companies make an obscene profit but I'm not sure what that is. Is a profit's offensiveness based on a percentage or a dollar figure? Is there a inoffensive profit level and if so what is it? Are some profits more offensive than others?

[Henry]

You miss the point, there should be no profit! The notion of a profit for this sort of "service" happens to be immoral, you know unchristian. The point is that an insurance person who has to "pass judgement" on whether a medical service is provided or the refusal adds to the insurance bottom line? Can you see this?
Do you think the Marines should make a "profit" (obscene or otherwise) for protecting the security of the country? Health care, like security is a social good most efficiently provided as a right of citizenship. Do you think Marines provide service out of duty and patriotism or out of greed and profit?

[WASanford]

Dear RightWingMarine; Thank you for your service to our country.

Let me point out that if you're still active, you receive your health care through the government and if you are a veteran, then you are eligible for VA benefits which are also provided by the government. Try to put yourself in the shoes of those of us who do not have that advantage. Would you like paying $500 to $1000 or more a month to provide health care for your family? How would you like it if after paying those premiums you find your insurance plan will not cover a life threatening illness or injury for yourself or a member of your family? Does that sound like a fair bargain to you? it isn't is it? So you shouldn't be surprised to find us wanting the benefits you enjoy.

[LeftRight]

It's interesting that so many cons ignore the fact that Hamas and Iran actually have no desire to destroy us and the best way to defang them would be to sit down and negotiate with them, but don't understand that their own leaders have done everything in their power to destroy this nation, AND who have admitted that single payer health insurance, the ONLY solution to our current health care crisis, is something that they would fight forever, and shown that they will do so!

And as for the profits of health insurance companies.... They shouldn't be MAKING a profit! The primary goal of people who have health insurance is to stay healthy. The primary goal of the health insurance industry is to make as much money as possible, which they accomplish by not letting people stay healthy. Therefore to remove the profit goals from the health insurance industry is the ONLY way to ensure that we can begin to get things under control here!

[Pittsburgh Nick]

Tell this one easy point. Lets say Obama allows me to buy into Medicare AT COST. So I am paying the full freight of the cost of the insurance. Would YOU OBJECT to my CHOOSING to buy into Medicare? Now lets establish for this argument that YOU YOURSELF coould keep whatever health insurance you have or you could choose to EVEN GO WITHOUT if you wanted.

But why is it all the Conservatives I speak to rant that it's SOCIALISM and somehow ruinous to the healthcare industry if I choose to buy into Medicare. I don't understand why it's ok in a Conservative's opinion to go without insurance but it's some sort of attack on the Capitialistic system if I buy into a big government system.

So if you say you don't care if I buy into Medicare as long as you can keep your health insurance then we don't have any problem.

So please respond. I doubt you will though. I am betting you are just trolling the net and posting RNC talking points for some Conservative group.

[RightWingMarine]

I don't know why the govt is involved in health insurance at all, what part of the Constitution gives congress the power to create and fund this enterprise?

My complaint with these plans is that I don't believe anyone should be forced to pay for the healthcare of another. Your health is not my responsibility and if I am forced to pay for your healthcare then I believe I should have the authority to determine what you eat and what lifestyle you have. If I'm not paying for your healthcare but rather only my own and my families then I don't care how you live or what you eat. Basically my complaint with the big govt system is that I'm paying for your coverage and then my own private insurance.

[MontanaMaven]

Morality is about how we treat each other. So we need to install a firewall to suppress selfishness. Profits are not good or bad. It's how they are distributed that creates a sick or a well society. If the CEO of United Health,William McQuire, pockets a 124 million a year while denying health care to his customers, I would call that more than obscene. It is criminal. Steven Perlstein of the Washington Post called McQuire's compensation "obscene".

That's what a society does. It decides what is fair and what is criminal. Making a profit by denying people health care is criminal. Making a profit killing people or robbing people is criminal. This is kind of ethics 101.

[RightWingMarine]

If a CEO of any corp provides poor service to his customers those customers have the right to not use that companies services. Unless you own stock in a company what do you care what they pay their employees? If you do own stock and believe that the employees are being paid too much you can vote in a new board that will set the salaries at a level you feel more appropraite.

If we force govt health care on ourselves and we get poor service then we have no options. We still have to pay the taxes that support the service we don't want.