Medicare for All: A Single Solution to the Health Care Fracas

[marmar]

from YES! Magazine:



Medicare for All: A Single Solution to the Health Care Fracas
The Affordable Care Act was upheld by the Supreme Court, but many remain dissatisfied. How we can still make health care work.

by Robert Weissman
posted Jun 29, 2012


It will take some time to digest the Supreme Court's decision yesterday, but it appears to have averted some terrible jurisprudence that might have very seriously restricted the government's overall ability to regulate the economy and protect citizens.

In upholding most of the Affordable Care Act, the Supreme Court lets stand legislation that offers some important benefits, but only to a portion of those who are uninsured, and will predictably fail to solve our nation's health care crisis.

However the health reform law ultimately plays out, we know two things for certain: Tens of millions of Americans will remain uncovered as will tens of millions of under-insured who will remain at risk of financial ruin if a major illness strikes; and it will leave the private health insurance and pharmaceutical industries in charge of prices and life-and-death treatment decisions.

There is a single solution to the challenges of providing coverage to the 50 million who are uninsured that would curb out-of-control health care costs and provide a humane standard of care to all who enter the medical system. That solution is an improved Medicare-for-All, single-payer system. ...............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.yesmagazine.org/people-power/medicare-for-all-a-single-solution-to-the-health-care-fracas

[still_one]

1. The only way it will work is if Democrats win a majority in Congress. What the Supreme Court did

was tell us exactly what was needed, just remove the age limit for Medicare

[MrSlayer]

2. We had a majority in Congress.

And they wouldn't let a single advocate for single payer even speak. It was never an option. Bought off whores in both parties will never allow single payer.

[still_one]

3. yup, which is why we have to clean up our own party also /nt

[davekriss]

5. No, not a majority of DINOS and Democrats...

...we need a majority of genuine Democrats.

[MrSlayer]

7. Agreed.

Much easier said than done though. Citizen's United pretty much guarantees that politicians must toe the corporate line.

[davekriss]

9. Yup

When I joined this board 10 years ago, I already was fond of saying that there are two votes in America: The dollar vote, followed by the democratic vote. Nothing gets on the agenda of the democratic vote that doesn't first pass the dollar vote. The problem with this arrangement is that those with more dollars get to vote more than those without. Thus it is seldom that anything comes up for democratic vote that has a chance to hurt the already advantaged. The result is a nation with the least upward mobility in the first world, a nation with declining institutional support for the rascal multitudes. Citizens United will amplify this structural bias a hundred fold.

Our democracy is uncomfortably similar to the "democracy" in Iran, where no candidate gets to run for office that doesn't first receive the blessings of the Guardian Council and Supreme Leader (the ayatollahs). In the U.S., candidates must first get the blessings of Wall Street, Big Pharma, mega Media, etc., all principly owned by the 0.1%.

In face of this orthodoxy, it is amazing that centrist Obama has accomplished what he has. Hats off to him!

[cali]

4. sorry, this is idiotic. Overturning the ACA would have done NOTHING whatsofucking ever

to advance single payer. Nothing.

[Poll_Blind]

6. Cali, the article doesn't say that anywhere. nt

PB

[DirkGently]

8. It's so worky it just might be crazy!