It looks like we have a crystal clear demonstration before us. We are watching as our government chooses its constituency. With a vast majority of Americans clearly in favor of a public system there should be no debate, unless you represent some other interest. It seems our Congress simply and clearly does NOT represent US. It represents the insurance, pharmaceutical and hospital businesses. THAT is why there is a debate about “fixing” the system we have and why a true single-payer care delivery system is not even seriously considered. It is possible that our government is simply and utterly out of our control. The fact that Congress just ignores the clearly stated wishes of nearly three quarters of the county certainly seems to point to it. We MAY … may … be able to wrench our “representatives” out of their stupor by reminding them that no matter HOW much money they get from the businesses whose interests they are representing, WE vote, not the businesses, and it is OUR vote, not their money, that ultimately either sends them to Washington or sends them home. I will be writing to my Senators and my Representative, possibly numerous times, to express my preference for a true single-payer system, to let them know that I am watching to see whose interests they represent, and that I have missed casting ONE vote in twenty five years. I invite you to do the same.

I made this comment over at Glenn Greenwald's article about "The Scope..." I watched Olbermann's Special Comment last night and listened to him rail against the large corporations in the health care field and the Democrats and the Republicans collecting big money form those same companies. I mentioned to my wife before he began his rant to listen if Olbermann actually mentions the words single-payer. Unfortunately, as expected, that did not happen, as if to do so would have meant that a bolt of lightening would have struck the bespectacled Olbermann dead in his chair.

It is certainly admirable to see people like John Nichols write about the necessity of politicians and progressives to get behind single-payer. But since most people, unfortunately, get their news from television, it should behoove [alleged] liberals such as Keith Olbermann to not only utter the words single-payer but also have guests on his program who could point out the benefits of this system. Olbermann had on Independent senator Bernie Sanders on his program last night. Both of them were lamenting the health care crisis in the United States. Both of them inexplicably never mentioned those two words which seems to be taboo on the corporate airwaves-single-payer. Until influential people like Olbermann and Sanders decide to actually do this, single-payer will continue to remain a fantasy rather than a reality.

Royce

OR it could happen that delaying the vote--maybe to October--when H1N1 may wreak its havoc everywhere, that this entire argument will shift from academic and rhetorical flourish to actual public need.

The great inequalities that are seen today are the direct result of official corruption. Our entire society has lost it's moral compass. The ends justifying the means and the bottom line have corrupted us all. The Dem's and Repub's are just a reflection of our neocapitalist society. It seems change will only happen when we hit bottom.

With due respect, the course for single payer advocates advanced by Mr. Nichols will result only in mincemeat being made of single payer when it gets into the meat-grinder of congressional action as butcher Pelosi reopens the shop in August. Like all those "Progressives for Obama" whose agenda is to "push" Obama toward progressive action without threatening a withdrawal of overall support for him, Nichols is perpetuating the situation in which the President can take for granted the support of this constitutency, no matter how he abuses it. Case in point is that the enthuses over a "victory" in which Rep. Weiner, trying to push for an amendment for single payer in Waxman's committee, withdrew his amendment on the Waxie one's statement that Pelosi had promised to get "the issue" of single payer before the full Congress. (I watched the videotape on that, a most ambiguous "promise" indeed.) If that "promise" were to be trusted, why would not a recommendation from a congressional committee "get the issue" before the House? Weiner of course turned into a wiener and accepted the bait and apparently so did Nichols: celebrating as a "victory" for single payer what was in fact a stunning defeat: a precursor to "compromises" of the future in which Pelosi and Obama will be able to show that they "considered" single pay, when they knew very well that their corporate handlers would NEVER allow any SERIOUS consideration of single payer. Nichols' admission that single payer has little to no chance to pass shows that he's on to this reality. But of course the hot dog stand of "progressive" politics has many wieners, and Nichols buys one for himself in endorsing the kind of "compromise" stand-tall-for-single-payer-in-August-get-what-you-can-in-September procedure. No wonder the minority of Republicans so often get their way, establishing their (usually wrong-headed) positions on issues and sticking with them through the political thick and thin.

Very Important: Push Your Congressperson to Support a Full Analysis of Single Payer by the Congressional Budget Office!

Single payer is the only fiscally responsible solution for the nation's healthcare woes, and this argument needs to be demonstrated by the nonpartisan CBO. New York state issued a report late last week that showed a single payer sysem would save New York alone 20 billion dollars a year in healthcare costs.

The most important thing that single payer activists can do during August and September is FORCE Congress to let Single payer back into the conversation. Make them look at it honestly. We will need to bypass the corporate mainstream media and make ourselves heard over a 1.4 million dollar a day lie campaign. But if we make them discuss single payer, single payer will win. It has ALL the arguments, ethically, morally and financially.

In a July 30th meeting in his D.C. office, my Congressman, Blue Dog Michael Arcuri, admitted in front of our single payer delegation "off the record, but I know it won't be off the record" that single payer really would be the best solution. The only excuse he could give for not supporting it is that "it's not going to happen." Single payer activists need to fight tirelessly to change this conversation.

It is time to kick corporate privateers out of our healthcare system. It is time to let the "leaders" know that they have more to fear from us than they do from the health insurance corporations.

Briggs Seekins

briggsseekins.wordpress.com

Single Payer is off the table....OK, it was never on it. These Jackels have generated enough pushback, enough anger with their arrogance to defeat anything at this point.

Tell me where I'm wrong:

There's 50 million uninsured. For $10/month, they can join the new American Public Care Trust Fund.

That's $500 million PER MONTH, 6 BILLION per year. All of the uninsured can afford $10/month.

$6 billion is the total health care insurance profits for 2003. Profits!

So, now we have a guarantee pool of $500 million/month. We transparently invest it, of course, super-conservatively, say 3% return. Meanwhile, 50 million get a card and never pay another bill again. All bills are submitted, openly checked for accuracy and honesty, then paid 30 day net.

Profits for docs, hospitals, drugs etc capped at 5%. But it's guaranteed. Anyone who tries to cheat, steal or gorge will be slammed.

Phase Two: add the 25 million underinsured. Another $3 billion/year. Phase Three: every American. Trump pays $10; the guy in the trailer park pays $10.

$10, of course, is a joke. People would gladly pay $20/month for never, ever, having to worry about their health care expenses ever again. Hell - I'll pay $50/month, with the extra $40 set aside to cover 4 of the homeless.

Employers no longer have to provide HC. More billions saved.

If, for some reason, one wishes to purchase private health ins, it's their choice. Meanwhile, insurance companies may still offer fire, home, renters, etc insurance. Those which survive, great. The others - welcome to the new system.

Am I missing something?

To me, this is the key paragraph:

"At the very least, single-payer advocacy should preserve an amendment sponsored by Congressman Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, which would allow states to experiment with single-payer programs even if the federal government refuses to do so. That's a significant matter, since Canada's national health care program began with single-payer experiments at the provincial level."

I see Washington as being so corrupt they are incapable of producing a good system. But if there is a push for single payer in the states, then the forces of evil, namely the insurance industry & and other medico-industrial-complex minions, will have 50 fights on their hands, not just 1.

Its just not gonna happen.

And with Obama's forthcoming tax hike, it really will be the last nail in the coffin of his presidency.

Get ready for Palin vs Clinton 2012.

first of all, any discussions of 'dems this, repubs that' is like preferring one professional wrestler over another...they may look like they're beating the crap out of each other, but they're going to be high-fiving in the locker room afterward, out of sight of the audience...

second, if single payer is relegated to the states to enact, let me ask you one question: how is your state's economy doing, especially when, as in my state, jobs are disappearing and federal monies that arrived in the past to help with state costs are no longer available? Hey, California ~ got any spare cash for a health plan?

I like frank1569's idea of a parallel pool of money fed by those who wish to join...my only concern would be the pressure the established insurance companies would bring to bear on the providers to not provide care to anyone not carrying their products...again, violence tends to render money meaningless...

eventually, with all of this activity relying upon monies generated by the division of, and destruction of, the living planet, this will all come to a grinding halt, anyway, as the living planet is going to die without drastic changes in human behavior...one day, you will be your own best caretaker of your own health, understanding that living healthily is much better than not, then facing either emergent, and expensive, treatment, or death...of course, we all die, anyway, which is the other fact these discussions seem to overlook...no healthcare plan or medical procedure will keep you alive forever, especially in the goddamn chemical stew of an environment we're cooking...

there is a war coming, and, while health care is a major issue to alot of people, it is not as major an issue as housing...when the jobs go, health care monies will go, but, more importantly, so will housing...stay tuned, and start getting in shape...bankers and landlords vs. the citizenry...which side will you be on?

Global Start Date: September 22, 2012...return to agrarian, acoustic life...we're gonna need shelter, food and water...let's cohabitate, and get those gardens growing!

Why do I get the scary feeling that something deadly will happen before single payer gets voted on in Congress? Ok, let me explain. The day before 9-11-2001, my local newspaper finally had the nerve to put on the front headlines that most Americans by a strong majority oppose Dubya's tax cuts policies. After 9/11, our apathetic public to this day still has yet to get back to opposing them. I fear another 9/11 out of nowhere coming up and then Congress will have to cancel voting on it because some crisis of the biggest proportions will engulf this nation for the rest of the year and like 2001, there will be 2 2009s.

Shit. I can't believe I signed a petition for a "public option".

Exploit the opportunity. Demand single payer NOW. Don't cut deals. If the Demoks try to negotiate you down, up the ante in response.

For example if your Demok rep says "you can only have optional state level single payer" you come back with "Now we demand national single payer and halving of costs in TWO years instead of five. You should thank your lucky stars we haven't tried you for war crimes. Who do you work for? Are you a private servant or a public servant? What about your oath? You'll think twice about trying to negotiate us down next time won't you?"

Put the fear of the rabble into them. Fear is the only language they understand. They operate exclusively on the level of reptilian emotions, while lacking the true reptile's dignity of innocence.

Single payer will be a fiasco if we don't REFORM the CORPORATIONS providing the "care".

They will outsource their administrative costs to the public sector and charge the gov't the same or more for the "service".