Job Killer? How Media Spin Got Obamacare Wrong — and Why Single-Payer Could Cure Its Actual Flaws

[kpete]

AMY GOODMAN: That’s George Gresham, president of 1199 SEIU. He represents about 400,000 healthcare workers. Michael Hiltzik, you’ve written extensively about single payer. Is ACA, the Affordable Care Act, a stepping stone to single payer? Do you see that happening?

MICHAEL HILTZIK: Well, I see it happening, but that’s a very long-term project, unfortunately. What we’re seeing with the ACA is that it is a major step toward single payer. It doesn’t really bring us there. But what may happen over the next years—and it may take decades—is that people will come to the realization that all of the problems they see and that we see in the implementation of the Affordable Care Act are associated with the fact that the act puts the private, commercial health insurance industry at the center of delivering healthcare to Americans—in fact, more than it was even before the enactment of this act. So the health insurance industry is really the instrument of delivering the ACA to people. And all of the problems that we see, all of the difficulties with the federal government’s website, all of the confusion that we’re still hearing from patients and customers really has to do with the fact that we have left the delivery of healthcare in the hands of private insurers. And over time, I think, most Americans will come to realize that. And what will—what needs to happen will happen, and that’s to take private insurers, who impose an enormous cost on the delivery of healthcare, that they will go away. But as I said, that’s a long-term project. It’s going to take 10 years, really, 20 years, maybe even longer. There have to be a lot of changes in the American system that happen before that can happen.


the rest:
http://www.democracynow.org/2014/2/6/job_killer_how_media_spin_got

[Thinkingabout]

1. I would love to see a single payer healthcare. It works in many countries very well.

In France they pay $10 a month and could pay $30 a month for a Cadillac policy. BTW, they don't have to wait in lines to get health care.

[Hoyt]

2. I agree with you, but health care costs more than $10/mo. There's s hefty tax on income too.

I'd accept it, but a lot won't.

[Thinkingabout]

3. They do not pay executive salaries at insurance companies for one thing. They also do not

have rooms full of claims agents both in the doctor offices and insurance companies. Yes there are taxes but one does not go to the doctors every month and it all comes out in the wash. The US pays twice as much in a year for health care than other countries. If you go to the doctor you will have a copay unless you have the Cadillac policy. I doubt there is as much money going towards lobby groups and into the pockets of our congress members.