Single Payer Healthcare? Know anything about it?

[ally]

I totally agree "Ally" the majority of Americans feel their tax money is wasted on the very things they oppose. Insuring the proper disbursement of tax dollars is of highest priority in this country. The lobbyists in D.C. have incredible budgets and far to much influence representing the few at the expense of the many-this fact is considerably problematic and will require something quite drastic to alter. The struggle for universal healthcare will no doubt be as difficult as any other civil rights (an many do consider it a civil rights issue) struggle of the past with many untold sacrifices by the few brave souls yet to be realized.

If you could elaborate more on how private practice doctors are standing in the way I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks

Well, it's pretty straight forward really. Their association lobby's hard to stop qualified doctors from other countries from being able to practice here, the gov. listens and realizes that they can control the fees they pay the doctors by giving in to this demand. Remember, it is the provincial gov. that our doctors negotiate with. Each province has this process. Whenever the gov. get's tough, the doctors threaten to extra bill their patients. The gov caves every time

[ZPN]

I sent this (via email/websites) to all the folks listed at the end of the letter. It is critical that everyone who supports the Public Option proposed by President Obama contact their Senators and Representatives now. The "blue dog (or blue cross) democrats" may stop Public Option. I recommend contacting President Obama & Howard Dean also. If you go to Congress.org you can plug in your zip code and get the names of your Congress persons and the info for President Obama. From the contact tabs for each of these people, you can click on a web form and easily send them a message. You can go to www.democrats.org: click contact at the top of the page, then click "contact us about issues" to send a message. From www.democrats.org/a/party/chairman/ you can click on the box marked "Tell Governor Dean what you think" to send him a message. You can also go to standwithdrdean.com to sign a petititon supporting Public Option.

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Dear___________:

I am writing to demand that you support a national health plan with a Public Option as proposed by President Obama, in lieu of a national Single Payer plan. A majority of Americans support Single Payer and over 75% of the American people support a Public Option (citizensforapublicoption.com).

I have supported Single Payer health care for almost 20 years. I voted for Nader in 2000 & 2004, and the biggest reason was his support of Single Payer. In 1993 I wrote a letter to President Clinton, and Chairperson of the Health Care Committee Hillary R. Clinton, asking them to allow supporters of Single Payer to be heard, and expressing my support of Single Payer Bills HF1200 and SF491. At that time, Canada was spending 38% less per capita than the U.S. on health care, while covering every citizen. I support Single Payer because it ensures every citizen lifelong security and access to private medical providers of their choice. At the same time, it cuts costs by eliminating advertising and profit in health insurance, and creating a single billing system. Another advantage is that it removes the burden of paying for medical benefits from employers, which would help the economy. Those who work several part-time jobs, are self-employed, lose their jobs or change jobs would not fall through the cracks and be uninsured. Most Americans support Single Payer, and Canadians would not choose to give up their Single Payer system for a private insurance/HMO based system like ours in the U.S.

In 2008 I voted for Obama instead of Nader. I was very disappointed when President Obama did not allow Single Payer to be on the table. I support Conyers Single Payer Bill, HR676. But at least the President supports a public option, which would allow citizens to choose a plan similar to Single Payer. Currently we have a Democratic President, 60 Democratic Senators and a majority in the House of Representatives. It is unbelievable to me that at this point, the public option is not getting full support of all Democrats and some moderate Republicans. The President is only asking for a compromise from Single Payer, allowing those who want to retain a private insurance based system the option to keep their private insurance. The President has confirmed Public Option will be deficit neutral. We could have paid for a Public Option plan, maybe even a Single Payer plan, with all the money that has been spent on war and corporate welfare. The argument that we can’t afford this is bull, and the American people know it. We can’t afford NOT to have Single Payer, or at least a Public Option. If the Public Option does not pass in the Senate and House of Representatives and become enacted, rest assured I will never vote for, volunteer for or contribute to another Democrat again. I will work to make sure progressive 3rd party candidates are elected in their place. The majority of voters for Federal candidates clearly made their voices heard in 2006 and 2008. We can do so again.

I worked hard in school and have a college degree. I am 45 years old and have lived with my Mom my entire life, except for 4 years. I have never been able to afford my own apartment, mainly due to high out of pocket medical costs, periodic medical absences from work and low wages. Despite having cerebral palsy since birth, and other medical conditions, I worked full time hours until 2007. I was fired in Nov. 2008 for being out sick, after exhausting my FMLA leave. I have Cobra, and am waiting to find out if my Medical Assistance will be renewed. I am on SSDI. Over the years I’ve been on many private insurance plans, MCHA (for people who need to buy their own insurance but are denied for pre-existing conditions), and on Cobra at least 5 times. This has meant endless red tape, restrictions on which providers I can see (The argument that you can’t choose your doctors with Single Payer is a joke-you would have more choice. Insurance companies/HMOs/Consumer Power Plans already limit you to their lists of “in network” providers.), limits on care and high out of pocket costs (deductibles, copays, excluded services). I have to pay my Cobra premiums ($437.55: 1/2 of my monthly SSDI benefit) up front, pay for 3 month supplies of my medications up front (my Cobra plan has mandatory mail order and 2 of my medications are very expensive because they are classified as “non-formulary”), and apply for reimbursement through MA. Because my SSDI & unemployment income is more than what MA allows, I also have to meet a “spenddown”.

Right now we have millions of uninsured in this country. People who have insurance are still going bankrupt due to medical expenses and are being denied care. In the early 90’s I did phone canvassing for Single Payer, and heard these stories: families/mothers who couldn’t take their children to the doctor because they were uninsured or couldn’t afford deductibles/copays; a family that needed to raise $50,000 before a hospital would perform a life-saving operation; an elderly couple that lost their home due to medical expenses; a man whose chemotherapy was abruptly stopped by the hospital when he could no longer afford to pay; a man who had to quit his new job and get government assistance because his daughter had leukemia, which his new medical plan classified as a pre-existing condition and would not cover. More recently I worked for a pharmacy benefit management company (the one that fired me) and heard daily about patients whose drugs were excluded from coverage, required prior authorization, were non-formulary, or were subject to deductibles &/or ancillary fees. These things caused patients to go without their medications, or to take their medications in ways other than prescribed.

It is way past time that we considered health care a right in this country, the same way we consider a public education a right. Where would we be right now, if when this country was formed, K-12 education was provided only by private corporations, and we were still waiting in 2009 for a “public option” for education? Only people who could pay tuition, fees, and for supplies would get an education. People who had physical or learning disabilities, mental or emotional illnesses would never have been admitted. I worked in a private school: there wasn’t even an elevator in the building, and you had to climb many steps just to get in the door. The analogy sounds ridiculous, but this is EXACTLY what we are STILL doing with our health care system, and it is shameful that other industrialized countries have recognized health care as a basic right long before the U.S. and set up Single Payer systems. The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 25, states:

“Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate to the health and well being of himself and his family, including..medical care…and the right to security, in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age, or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.”

Citizens pay for the medical benefits of the President, members of Congress and their families, and if Public Option doesn’t pass, I would support fellow citizens not paying Federal taxes. I am not paying taxes (except those withheld from my unemployment), but I’m willing to be arrested at non-violent protests, if necessary. Based on the anger and frustration I am hearing from other citizens on this issue, I am not the only one. If you don’t listen to our letters, phone calls, emails, voices at meetings and protests, and even our votes, we are left with few options. Do we live in the United States of America, or the Corporate States of America?

Please do everything in your power to ensure that a national health care plan with a Public Option passes the Senate and House of Representatives.

Sincerely,

(my name & contact info)

CC Elected Officials:

President Barack Obama

Senator Amy Klobuchar

Senator Al Franken

Representative Betty McCollum

The Democratic Party (website)

CC Media:

Ed Schultz (MSNBC, KTNF radio)

Mike Malloy (KTNF radio)

Stephanie Miller (KTNF radio)

Robert Kennedy Jr. and Mike Papantonio (Ring of Fire-KTNF radio)

Thom Hartmann (KTNF radio)

Amy Goodman (Democracy Now-Pacifica-KFAI radio)

Michael Moore

CC Other:

Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean

Ralph Nader