WaPo columnist Charles Krauthammer: "Single Payer within 10 years"

[brooklynite]

President Obama planted seed of universal coverage with passage of ACA; GOP couldn't kill it; public won't want to give up benefits.

(tonight on Fox News)

[KittyWampus]

1. And this is why I prefer to move the ball forward a couple of yards at a time

Last edited Fri Mar 24, 2017, 07:39 PM - Edit history (2)

rather than waiting for a chance to make 50 yard touch down.

Or take fewer points with a field goal rather than turning over the ball.

[JHan]

3. yet people decry incrementalism.

obamacare is now the third rail for republicans.

[grantcart]

7. Thats how it was done in Canada

Started out as Hospitalization only in one province. Saskatchewan Hospitalization Act in 1947

Then expanded to other provinces.

Then became national. 1957

Then became universal coverage. Canadian Health Act 1984

It took 37 years to build up to total single payer and the first step only got done because there was a serious doctor shortage in Saskatchewan.

[Horse with no Name]

8. When that is the best we can do in these political times

1 step foward is always better than 1 step backward.

[ismnotwasm]

12. Plus a trillion.

And speaking as one who works in healthcare, and who works with some of the more disadvantaged patients in a multi-disciplinary setting, I can only say how we get there is almost as important as getting there.

[geomon666]

2. Krauthammer said this?

He must be smoking the good shit today.

[grantcart]

6. He grew up in Canada and is an MD who started out on the left

In 1978, Krauthammer moved to Washington, D.C. to direct planning in psychiatric research under the Carter administration.[1] He began contributing articles about politics to The New Republic and, in 1980, served as a speech writer to Vice President Walter Mondale.[1] He contributed to the creation of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, currently referred to as the DSM-5

[longship]

13. He's also a paraplegic.

He got through Harvard Medical School in a wheelchair.

I find him occasionally interesting. He's no dummy. The question is, is he an ideologue?

I reserve judgement that he is not. He still says stuff that's pure bullshit.

[grantcart]

15. He is no dummy.

I wonder if Trump/Ryan could move him back to the left.

[Hekate]

29. I thought he was a quadriplegic. Either way, his life has taken guts, no matter that I disagree. nt

[Alice11111]

27. Thx for info. So when &why did he turncoat?

[OnDoutside]

10. I'd imagine there was a certain amount of sticking the dagger into Trump by saying that. He is

probably right though

the entire Democrat base has been re-energised by Trump's election and the defense of the ACA

this will hit the illiterate Republican voter to the core, some might even learn that ACA = Obamacare, not something different.

the DNC are talking about taking the battle to Red States, it's hard work but with the Republicans so hamstrung by the "Freedom Caucus"/Tea Party, there is potential to change the map in a number of states permanently.

[George II]

18. "Democrat base"? Didn't you mean "DemocratIC base"?

[OnDoutside]

20. No, not if it pisses you off. ;)

We've been through this many times, sometimes I use Democrat, other times I use Democratic. I use whichever I feel comfortable using in that sentence. Tough that you might have taken it as a personal insult from Repugs in the past, but that's just the way I feel about it. I've heard many Democrat(ic) politicians say Democrat, do you email them to complain as well ??? !!!

[George II]

21. Republicans use "Democrat", Democrats use "Democratic". I've never heard any Democrats...

...use "Democrat" when the word is an adjective or modifier. Never.

[OnDoutside]

22. Perhaps you hear what you want to hear ?

I can't help that. There's an orangutan in the White House threatening not just the US, but the world, and the best you can post is this rubbish ? Seriously ? 😟

[C_U_L8R]

4. It sure won't be created by Republicans

So Krautie, with all his prescience, must foresee a Democratic majority soon. I'll agree with him for once.

[roamer65]

5. 2021.

A Democratic president and Congress will pass the Medicare for All Act.

You heard it here first.

[JenniferJuniper]

11. I agree; no more dickering around with idiots

and insurance companies. First chance we get, it'll be single payer.

[Demsrule86]

24. That will not happen.

Health care is complicated...and unless you prepare for carefully, we could blow our new majority for nothing as Clinton did in 93...public option first or Medicare for over 50 who still pay pretty high premiums even under the ACA...this also helps with premiums for youngins...Let California roll out first single payer in the states...look what happened in Vermont. We must be careful...single payer is the goal, but we must move carefully.

[dhill926]

9. and why wouldn't the public want to give up benefits...

jaysus....

[First Speaker]

14. Krauthammer has published two books of his essays and columns...

...one from the 80s, and one just recently. The 80s book, though I have my disagreements with some of it, is interesting. You can see him do some actual thinking, see him moving towards what was called "neoconservatism" back then, and generally respect him as a sometimes friend, sometimes honorable opponent. The latter book is, alas, pretty much an exercise in Bloc Thinking. He's become a hard right ideologue, and the hardening of the mental arteries is a sad thing to see. He can still be interesting at times, especially when he's talking about baseball...but on the whole, I find reading him depressing these days...

[UTUSN]

16. Let's see (doing the math), he's 67, 10 yrs, but for sure he's got coverage right now.

[ancianita]

17. THE elephant: Medicare For All could get everyone re-elected in 2018. Everyone.

[Mr.Bill]

19. California is already working on it.

As a matter of fact, our legislature passed it twice already before Brown was governor. Our washed-up action hero Arnold vetoed it.

Now think about this, if California provided health care for all it's residents, and you owned a business that employed thousands of people you provided health insurance for, what state would you want to move your business to?

This is partly why businesses build factories in foreign countries that have universal health care.

[Vinca]

23. It's the only thing that makes sense.

You could do away with every other program - Medicare, Medicaid, VA, Obamacare - and combine it into one entity that doesn't automatically send truckloads of money to insurance companies.

[NurseJackie]

25. Some people actually OPPOSED the ACA it wasn't "perfect" (ie: it wasn't "Single Payer"). If those...

... people had gotten their way back then, we'd still have nothing today. Another example of how perfect is the enemy of the good. The fact that it exists at all is a testament and a monument to the tireless and dedicated DEMOCRATS and President Obama.

It was attacked from all sides and people are still angry that it has no "public option", or that it wasn't "Medicare-for-All" ... I get the feeling they'd rather have nothing instead of the major improvements that we do have today. It's ridiculous how the priveleged "all-or-nothing" people behave... very Sarandonesque... it's easy to "wait for the best" when you've already got everything. (I'm still amazed at those who wanted to primary Obama for 2012... a real slap-in-the-face considering where we'd been and how far we'd come.)

[MrScorpio]

26. He says that like it's a bad thing

In ten years, he's going to need it.

[Hekate]

28. I remember when Scalia said the same thing about gay marriage when some incremental thing....

...came before the SCOTUS. "If you pass this, then gay marriage soon becomes inevitable across the country." Not an exact quote, but I was struck by it because it did not seem to be in his usual style -- but instead a bald statement of fact. And it came true.

So, Dr Krauthammer, from your lips to God's ears.

Barack Obama is a genius. All the people who whined and had tantrums because the pony under the Xmas tree didn't have silver studded tack or a unicorn's horn, but instead turned out to be a baby workhorse that needed nurturing and training before becoming a massive Clydesdale can kiss my wrinkly rosy Irish ass 10 years from now.


Meantime, we have a lot of work still to do.