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CONTACT: Public Citizen Phone: 202-588-1000 |
Finally, a Voice in the National Health Care Discussion That Makes Sense
Statement of Sidney Wolfe, M.D., Acting President of Public Citizen and Director of Public Citizen’s Health Research Group
Until today, Congress has excluded single-payer advocates from nearly 20 hearings on health reform held this year. During this time, President Obama has suggested that single-payer is off the table. However, after the 77-member Congressional Progressive Caucus' April 2 affirmation to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Harry Reid that the caucus "prefers a single-payer approach to health care reform," we are being included today in the conversation.
Most physicians support a single-payer system - a reality that should not be surprising since a majority of the American public supports the creation of a national health insurance program funded by taxes. The asymmetrical influence of lobbyists representing the interests of insurance and drug companies may have been enough to keep this majority voice out of the discussion in Washington until now, but the true benefits for the public of a single-payer system speak louder than even the most belligerent corporate spin.
Under a single-payer system, doctors, hospitals and other health care providers are paid from a single fund administered by the government, which eliminates the wasteful spending and high administrative costs of private insurance, saving almost $400 billion annually. This is enough to provide every American with high-quality care, including those who currently have insurance but still cannot afford medications and treatment.
"[A] single-payer reform would make universal, comprehensive coverage affordable by diverting hundreds of billions of dollars from bureaucracy to patient care," says Himmelstein in his testimony today. "Lesser reforms - even those that include a public plan option - cannot realize such savings. While reforms that maintain a major role for private insurers may be politically attractive, they are economically and medically nonsensical."
In health care, if in nothing else, let sense prevail over nonsense in Washington.
READ Dr. Himmelstein's testimony.
3 Comments so far
Show AllThank goodness! Single payer healthcare was initially muzzeled by Obama. I'm hopefull that whatever small noises we make and help unseat the Pharma & Insurance oligarchs.
Even "Frontline - Healthcare Around America" ignored single payer.
Hooray! Hooray! Hooray for common sense. Now is time for all of us to come to the aid our countrymen...keep the subject at the forefront of what passes for discourse in America. Thank you, Dr. Wolfe..thank you.
Bill Walz
This issue above all others points out how America has landed in the pockets of big money. No other issue stands in such clear evidence that government functions to protect not the people, but the moneyed interests and corporations. People are dying. People are not getting the healthcare they need. People are going bankrupt. Businesses cannot afford to continue providing insurance to their employees.
And the government up to this point has refused to even consider the one solution that is so obvious that it has been adopted by the rest of the civilized world. Why? Because very rich, and that means then, very powerful people, who are making huge profits off the insurance and corporation driven healthcare system, along with government-phobic knuckleheadded Republicans, are blocking it.
Obama promised to change this. This issue is where he will prove who he stands with - the people, or the money. Which will it be Obama? Everyone needs to ask their Congresspersons where they stand too, and make it very clear that, like citizens of other countries, Americans deserve to have healthcare recognized as a human right, not a commodity for sale.
Single payer is the solution. It provides 100% coverage of 100% of the people, providing complete choice of providers, who remain totally private, at a fraction of the cost. What else is there to know?
Thank you Dr. Wolfe for your testimony and your efforts on behalf of the American people and on behalf of this sane solution to what is an insane problem.
Speak up people! Contact the President, your Congresspersons and the press. Demand single payer.