The Bishop and the Butterfly: Murder, Politics, and the End of the Jazz Age
    DF's picture

    Is Healthcare Reform DOA?

    By DF on Sat, 05/23/2009 - 8:34pm | Politics

    This Bill Moyers interview is a must-watch for anyone who cares about meaningful healthcare reform:

    Washington's abuzz about health care, but why isn't a single-payer plan an option on the table? Public Citizen's Dr. Sidney Wolfe and Physicians for a National Health Program's Dr. David Himmelstein on the political and logistical feasibility of health care reform.

    Topics: 
    Politics

    Comments

    I don't think they can get away with not doing anything. I agree that single-payer ought is what we need, but Obama never endorsed single-payer, at least as a presidential candidate. And I suppose as long as everyone is insured, single payer doesn't matter much. If the government plan turns out to be better than private insurance plans, we'll either get better private insurance, or we'll put the private plans out of business and get single-payer. Win-win.


    by Orlando on Sun, 05/24/2009 - 12:21am

    Oh, they will do something. But if it's something that actually encourages health care costs to grow, that's just kicking the problem down the road for people in the not-too-distant future to deal with. Single-payer is the only way to go. Anything less is a fraud and a scam.

    And, sorry to say, the U.S. government will remain dysfunctional until the financial power the lobbyists wield over Congress and the presidency is curbed. And by curbed, I mean eliminated. Political donations from anyone other than individuals have to be banned -- no unions, no corporations, no public advocacy groups.


    by acanuck on Sun, 05/24/2009 - 2:57am

    IMHO - Acanuck nailed it.  Unlike Orlando, I think it matters very much whether the coverage is  by single-payer or some other form because as long as private insurers remain in the game, they will bleed us dry.  Moyers' guests  pointed this out noting that in mixed systems - the tax payers get stuck with the expensive patients and the insurance companies make out like bandits.


    by HSG on Mon, 05/25/2009 - 9:44pm

    I think a government plan will put us on the road to single-payer. I'll be 100% shocked if we get single payer after this go-round.


    by Orlando on Tue, 05/26/2009 - 9:31am