Subscribe to Dollars & Sense magazine. Recent articles related to the financial crisis. Insurance Co.'s Endorse Universal Coverage......as long as it isn't single payer.The New York Times is reporting that the health insurance industry is suddenly in favor of universal coverage--as long as it looks like the Democrats' proposals, and not single-payer. According to this article in today's Times: The health insurance industry said Wednesday that it would support a health care overhaul requiring insurers to accept all customers, regardless of illness or disability. But in return, the industry said, Congress should require all Americans to have coverage.The article also notes the similarity between what the insurance companies are proposing and the plan Hillary Clinton proposed in the presidential primaries (and the differences with Obama's plan): But the industry's position differs from that of Mr. Obama in one significant respect. Insurers want the government to require everyone to have and maintain insurance. By contrast, Mr. Obama would, at least initially, apply the requirement only to children.During the primaries, many of us in Massachusetts, which has the kind of mandated plan that Clinton was calling for (but leaves the insurance industry intact) were ambivalent about Clinton's version of universal coverage. But Obama's plan hardly seemed better. The idea that he "wanted to be certain that insurance was affordable and available to all," yet his plan leaves the insurance companies in the picture, seemed ridiculous. This latest development hardly counts as news. An earlier article in the Times indicates that the industry has even endorsed expanding publicly-funded health care. What's more, the industry made a similar proposal for mandating care in 1992. In fact, the Times article about that proposal makes the current announcement sound like déjà vu: The industry has often been described as an obstacle to change in the nation's health-care system. But with the new proposal, to be announced Thursday, the industry signals its willingness to accept sweeping changes, many of them similar to those proposed by President-elect Bill Clinton.But the fact that the insurance industry essentially endorses the Democrats' approach to universal health care shows how timid this version of universal care is. If the new Democratic president and Congress really want to expand coverage and cut costs, they should go for single-payer; John Conyers' "Medicare for All" bill (H.R. 676) would bring that about. For evidence that a single-payer would reduce costs, see Joel Harrison's article explaining why leaving insurance companies in the loop costs everyone more--in premiums, co-pays, and tax dollars, and whether or not you're actually covered. And visit this page, which lists other coverage of health care in the pages of D&S. Labels: Barack Obama, health care, hillary clinton, insurance industry, single-payer Please consider donating to Dollars & Sense and/or subscribing to the magazine (both print and e-subscriptions now available!).
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Right now, members of congress are collaborating with the insurance companies to force you and I to purchase their for-profit services. When a bunch of companies get together and say: "Yes, we'll let you pass these laws, as long as you force all the people to pay us", that's extortion. When Congress agrees to it, that's corruption! This might be the silver bullet that destroys the Democratic Party's credibility by justifying the Republican fear based campaign against them.
The premise behind this mandate is that having everyone in the pool will lower individual costs. This makes sense, but it makes even more sense to have everyone in the same pool rather than spread out among all the private for-profit pools. Keep focused on the goal of lowering costs because one of the easiest targets here is the "profit". We need to stop wasting our health care dollars on private jets for another over-paid CEO. Ask Tom Daschle if he thinks his salary was a cost effective way to spend our health care dollars. The push for "Universal Health Care" is very strong, and the Democrats believe they have a mandate for change. insurance companies see an opportunity chock full of dollar signs. If we sit back and let them use the momentum we built, the only change we are going to get is in the flavor of corruption. Is this flavor of corruption the change Obama promised? The only useful service the insurance companies provide is a place to hold our money until we need care. The other services they provide outweigh that single useful one a hundred fold. Our money is being used to pay lawyers to deny our claims, staff to reject new applicants that may not be profitable to insure. We pay for the lobbyists that compete for our representation in congress. We pay for management positions for people who have proven their ability to provide us with the least amount of service possible. Not to mention mass amounts of advertisement, high rise buildings, jets, yachts, and million dollar CEO salaries. Ask Tom Daschle how his corporate buddies convinced him that these expenses benefit our health. In order to keep all this under control we would need a huge number of new regulations that will only arm the Republicans with more "big government" accusations for the next round of smear campaigns, justifying even more "slippery slope" fear-mongering. Is this the change you voted for? All we need is a simple system to hold our money until we need care. Our democracy is very flexible and it provides us with the ability to create such a system, but the concept of a government of the people, by the people, and for the people, does not work without the people. Ask yourself if you're ready to let change become nothing more than a promise that someone else made. I support HR 676 single payer health care, the bill has a lot of co-sponsors. These people are our allies, they need our support, and we need theirs. The bill also has a well funded fear-mongering opposition because it virtually eliminates the insurance industry.These companies have corrupted our system and are trying to take advantage of us. I think the American thing to do would be: Stick it to 'em with overwhelming force. It is time to mobilize our forces, everything we have, every last tool. Are you with me? # posted by
 : Friday, November 21, 2008 3:58:00 PM
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Democrat Jim Martin is in a runoff against Bush Republican Saxby Chambliss for the Senate seat from Georgia. Bush's Saxby Chambliss voted against spending a few measly dollars to provide health care coverage for Georgia, and Americas needy children. But he supported wasting hundreds of billions of your dollars, and the life BLOOD of Americas finest on an unnecessary war in Iraq. At a time when 47 million of you have no health insurance coverage, and over 100 million of you with insurance are just one major illness away from complete financial destruction. Bush and Saxby Chambliss voted to make the heart break of bankruptcy relief even harder for all of you to use. You see, Bush and Saxby Chambliss, and his family don't have to worry about their health care coverage. They have the finest health care coverage your tax money can buy for them. Courtesy of you. The American Tax payer. In fact, no one but the super rich can afford the health care coverage you the tax payer provide for Saxby Chambliss, and his family for FREE! with your tax dollars. He supposedly works for you. But he doesn't think you and your family should have access to the type of taxpayer supported FREE health care that you provide for him, and his loved ones for FREE!. Doesn't that just make you BURRING MAD! Vote for JIM MARTIN for US senator from Georgia. Vote for JIM Martin who will be on your side. Vote for JIM MARTIN who will work with President Obama and a majority congress for you. Vote for JIM MARTIN most of all for your-self, your family's, friends, and loved ones. Vote for JIM MARTIN for a better America, and a better World. Don't let Saxby Chambliss make a chump out of you by tricking you into voting against your own best interest. Saxby chambliss is NOT! on your side. He's not one of you. He is on George Bush's side. And we all know what a catastrophe the Bush Chambliss administration has been the past 8 years. Contact all your family and friends and do every thing you can to see to it that JIM MARTIN and GEORGIANS! take that senate seat back for Georgia, and America. No matter where you live in America. This is important to you. President Obama will need all the help, and power you can give him to try and fix this catastrophic mess that the Corrupt Bush Chambliss administration has created. As I said before you will have to vote in overwhelming numbers to overcome the Bush Chambliss "Let Them Eat Cake" vote fraud machine. Vote early if you can. Then help everyone you can get to the polls and vote for JIM MARTIN. You and your loved ones don't have to be Saxby Chambliss's victims anymore. I know you will get it done. Just like you did for President Obama. God bless all of you jacksmith - WORKING CLASS... :-) # posted by
: Thursday, November 27, 2008 9:51:00 PM<< Home |
