Health Care Reform

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One of the reasons that I am a strong proponent of a single-payer, Medicare-for-all proposal is that it is much less complicated than what we are going to end up with in Congress. A single-payer approach saves hundreds of billions of dollars a year because you don't end up with thousands of different health insurance programs appealing to all different kinds of people and costing a fortune to administer. I am going to continue the fight for single-payer. I am cautiously optimistic that we may end up with legislation that will allow states to go forward with single-payer if they want to.

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Comments

[TheAlchemist]

Medicare For All
Amen

[msbteacher]

Dear Senator Sanders,

Thank you for fighting the good fight and speaking the truth.

I do appreciate your vow to continue to fight for single payer. But I also appreciate the fact that, because of you and Progressive Democrats in the Senate, Senator Reid has now said that the health care bill that goes to the Senate floor will include the public option with an "opt out" rather than a "trigger." That only happened because of you and other progressives, and the pressure we citizens are putting on Congress. Now at least all those Dems will have to publcly take a stand for or against public insurance. And the "opt out" is a much better "compromise" than a "trigger," because at least it will happen in some states. Most states, in fact, because the citizens of the states will not want to "opt out" of this option any more than they want to "opt out" of medicare. And we'll have some real facts and history to show which states (those with our without public insurance) actually provide better care to their citizens at less cost. So while I say "Go, Bernie, Go!" on single-payer, I also say thanks for providing the pressure on the left to at least come up with real legislation that moves in the right direction.

[dersankt]

yay finally someone is talking some sense

[Write4U]

The people still have the "Power of the Vote".
If the "special interests" play hardball with lies and subterfuge and scare the politicians with threats of witholding campaign funds, the only way for ordinary citizens is to combat this with the threat of the Vote.
Write your congressperson and senators and let them know that if they do not do right with the people, they WILL be voted out of office. The People can play hardball also.............do it!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Write4U]

It occurs to me that a lot of people who enjoy health insurance through their employer are afraid of having to pay additional taxes for a "single payer" system. This is a false fear, in fact what they dont realize is that an employer would no longer need to insure their employees and the savings can now be used to give employees a wage increase (which will more than offset any additional taxes), or to hire new employees, as they would not need to consider how much it costs for "perks".

[GirlFriday123]

Bernie is one of the many reasons ILUVERMONT!

We'll keep sending you back as long as you keep fighting for US!

Bernie for U.S.!

[waitforme]

Bless Bernie Sanders. Do keep on, Senator. And Thank You.

Re: the 'trigger' some, including the president are entertaining:

Trigger is code for 'putting it all off and forgetting it'. Why?

1) Nothing I have read suggests they will give a firm date when insurance companies will need to prove they have lowered costs enough.

2) What is 'enough'? Will they give a dollar amount, or how will anyone know when 'enough' is reached?

3) Everything I've read suggests there will be at least two years or five or more years to 'give insurance companies time' to lower costs. Do we think they will hurry up to be the first in line to lower their prices? This is nuts. They could lower prices in a week. Any 'trigger' should mandate (and this is the only place where a 'mandate' should come in) insurance companies to lower costs now. If they don't, then the government should take over. One week after now.

4) How will they monitor insurance companies? Congress cannot even set up a firm monitoring system for the banks when they give them billions of dollars (even Elizabeth Warren is astounded). Do we think they will vote to firmly regulate the very corporations which are paying millions for lobbyists and millions for the campaign coffers of senators whose self-esteem desperately depends on their staying in power?

Only firm, clear, spelled-out regulatory rules, time-line and a devoted regulatory body will make any 'trigger' worth a single vote for any if

[DocTwain]

Single-payer is the way to go.
100% support for Bernie.
If every member of Congress were a member of the CPC and voted for the public interest instead of the plutocrats, voting to strengthen beneficial social-democratic programs and eliminate market-gaming, price fixing, price gouging, and institutional graft, and putting en end to stakehold fiat, this would be the most popular Congress and President in history. Independents and Democrats' faith in government would be restored, and the GOP tea-baggers ten years from now would be warning politicians to "keep your government hands off my national health insurance."

[plcsail]

We were paying a thousand a month for 2 healthy adults and two healthy teens, with a 2 thousand deductible and a maze of conditions and copays. I would gladly pay 10 thousand extra in taxes to get rid of a crappy plan like that. We finally got our premium to less than 500 a month by being empty nesters with a 12 thousand deductible.......ridiculous. I wrongfully assumed we would get single payer with Obama. It seems we are finally possible clawing our way back to the public option.

[SparkyGump]

Bernie, ever since you called out Alan Greenspan, I've always been a huge fan. I've been able to follow you for much of your career becuase I used to live in the Albany, NY area and could listen to Vermont radio. I WISH I could vote for you. You are one of the greatest assetts our country has. Thanks for your service.

[emailers2]

"New data compiled by the healthcare analytics group at Thomson Reuters (NYSE:TRI) found that the “U.S. healthcare system wastes between $505 billion and $850 billion every year.”"

This article argues against health care reform which I disagree with. But it occurred to me that we could save and pay for a single payer plan by mandating legislation that dealt with the wastes pointed out in the article. Of course research would be required first to determine the validity of the alleged waste pointed out in the article and determine if there are other wasteful practices.

http://247wallst.com/2009/10/26/us-healthcare-system-wastes-800-billion-a-year/

[DocTwain]

single payer pays for itself.
Simply eliminating the administrative costs, wastes, profit and graft of the private health insurance cartel would save $400 billion a year. http://www.pnhp.org .

If those savings and even half of the savings in the article you described were realized, we could cut costs by three quarters of a trillion a year. Insuring the uninsured and improving coverage for everyone else would cost less that a third of that.

[PrairieView]

Sanders first says we should not have different programs then he says he will vote for states to opt-in. Isn't that the same thing? How can their be portability of healthcare insurance if each state can decide whether to have a single payer or not?

[waldopepper]

From the article ... "I am cautiously optimistic that we may end up with legislation that will allow states to go forward with single-payer if they want to."

Sen. Bernie (if I may use such an informality).I love you man. But if this happens it will be a great disservice to the American citizenry at large.

Medicare for all single payer across the board as had been pointed out by yourself and others, including myself is the way to go. If it is good enough for the Senate and other government employees. It should be good enough for all.

However, if the nation at large end up having to accept a patchwork of coverage, that States can op in or out of, then I fear that what will happen is that States will compete to offer the least that they can offer. For if they offer too much their state will become a haven for those people who are uninsured and therefore unduly costly to a program.

I hope that this does not come to pass, as I have described.

[mcostello]

That's right Senator, nothing else matters.

[Blixa]

With apologies for repeating myself in this thread, I am concerned about the allowances for "faith or spiritual" health care that are being written in to the House and the Senate bills. Once we go down this road, the damage will be very difficult to undo.
http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2009/10/its_more_than_just_harkin_and_woo_christ.php
http://www.tampabay.com/news/health/religions-that-rely-on-prayer-to-heal-add-twist-to-health-care-reform/1043304
If you object, please let your elected officials know ASAP before it's too late.