I don’t write about health care a whole lot because it’s one of those things where I think the niggling details are boring and the solution to our problems - universal healthcare - to be so blindingly obvious that I think that the “debate” is about as invalid as the “debate” about global warming and evolution. That said, you should see Sicko. I’ve had the crushing hand of the health care industry affect a very close family member more than once, so much of the stories rang true as well as the disparity in how we deal with the issue here in America versus the rest of the world. I’m not sure we can yet have a revolution on the issue, because even many Democrats are (as usual) overly cautious at an issue that is essentially a slam dunk. So, anyhow. See the movie, it’s pretty good.
Rating: 4/5
“But Americans don’t have to wait in line for a hip replacement, and therefore, universal healthcare is a sham!”
I don’t understand how people can become so enraged at the idea of providing healthcare services to all Americans.
As someone said a few weeks ago: Show me a person who doesn’t deserve healthcare.
Elected officials are resistant to universal health care because the constituency to which they are most responsive, the corporate ruling class, is against it.
The health care industry is second only to the military industrial complex in money and influence. The Democratic leadership does not believe they can maintain their majority without the support of the health care industry. Or, put another way, they will lose their majority if they alienate the health care industry. They are probably right about this.
The constituency that most needs and wants universal health care, the economic bottom half of country, either does not vote, or does not vote as if universal health care were a priority.
A little posting mashup…
“As someone said a few weeks ago: Show me a person who doesn’t deserve healthcare.”
“Elected officials”
AARP has been offering health insurance for a while now. So making a no-brainer like National Health Coverage happen is gonna be a difficult trick. Only the Catholic Church has a larger membership in the U.S.
A lot of the proposals involve simply expanding medicare. I doubt the AARP’s membership would revolt if it was presented like that — covering all people over 65 and under 18. Something like that, maybe.
But Oliver! Michael Moore doesn’t really care about health–he’s fat!
[/fool]
Yep, Medicare. If it’s good ’nuff for old folks, it’s good ’nuff for the rest of us. The AARP can definitely get behind a proposal to expand Medicare (indeed already has, albeit only down to age 50, the AARP cut-off). because old farts use more medical services than young sprouts and thus the young sprouts would be subsidizing the old farts. That’s the kinda thing the old farts love, free money from youngsters. Anyhow, tacking on an 8% payroll tax would mean that I, with a six-figure income, would pay more for my health insurance than I do now, but would mean that I wouldn’t need to worry about losing my coverage if I went self-employed, I’d just pay the extra self-employment tax just as I’d currently pay the employer’s half of the Social Security tax if I were self-employed.
Big bigness traditionally has been against health care reform because health care is one way they attract talent from small businesses, since small businesses don’t have the clout with the health insurance companies to demand good pricing and plans. However, the runaway costs of the health insurance fiasco are starting to hurt the bottom line big-time, so I think they could get behind a “Medicare for all” plan too.
- Badtux the Health Penguin
Exactly. We figured it out over 60 years ago. Jeez, what is this, the slow class?