Wouldn't covering 50 million uninsured be a jobs engine in and of itself?

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

Why don't Dems/Obama push this as a side benefit of universal health coverage?

Isn't it obvious that more people will have to be hired on the provider side of the equation - CNA's, food service, health equipment manufacturers, med techs, doctors, nurses, admin,etc.?

Many of these jobs pay higher wages than exists in much of our so-called "service" economy.

[Wapsie B]

1. Taking the burden of providing health insurance off the backs of large employers

is a good economic stimulus right there. Plus you won't have some employers play around with the hours of part-time workers, reducing them to a point just below the level where they'd qualify for health insurance under the company plan such as Starbucks has done in the past.

[Uben]

2. Shhhhh!

Quit giving those democrats ammunition to pass comprehensive healthcare reform. We're trying to keep logic outta this issue.









/sarcasm

[slackmaster]

3. Any engine requires a source of energy

The big question is how to pay for it.

[RaleighNCDUer]

6. We're already paying for it - just not getting it.

Since we are paying twice as much today for the results we are currently getting as our industrial nation counterparts, logic says that if we had THEIR system (take your choice) we could cover twice as many people, and we don't NEED to cover twice as many people, only 20% more. That being the case, adopting one of the European models, we could cover everybody and still see a 40% SAVINGS.

Edit:

IOW, we don't need to re-invent the wheel.

[havocmom]

4. Yep. Same as developing green alternatives to power, building, cars

The reason big business opposes things is not that it would cost jobs or money, but that changing the status quo would redistribute jobs and money. They like things the way they are if they are making a profit at someone else's cost.

Now that we are seeing how going green is creating jobs and wealth, perhaps more people can take that vision and apply it to other parts of the economy.

Of course, thems that gots will throw a lot of sand and smoke to try and blur the vision.

[Perky]

5. Ideally it would not create jobs.

on the health care provider side,, I would think that there is not a substantial capacity delta. JUst because people don't have coverage does not mean they are not getting care when needed,

ANd on the insurance side, it really is bloated by the lack of digitalization. Lots of paper pushers. Automation is one area where ther is general agreement that costs can be cust and what we really are talking about is labor cost,

[dionysus]

7. i would think so and it is a good question why it's not being mentioned.

[Leo The Cleo]

8. Not only would it be a jobs engine . . .

It would create over 2.5 million jobs and 500 Billion dollars in taxable income and revenue. It would FIX the economy.

[defendandprotect]

9. Medicare for all would create 2.3 million jobs --

[Milo_Bloom]

10. Really?

I love that stat, but I don't quite believe it. Is there any support?

Speaking completely without facts, I think it would probably wind up being a wash.

You would have a TON of people out of work b/c of the crash in the insurance industry and likely a similar amount of people would need to be hire in the govt to help manage and health care facilities to manage the people getting preventative care.

[defendandprotect]

12. Presumably a lot of those people would be taken in ...

The needs and expense of government in ADMINISTERING the plans are small --
3% or a bit more re Medicare --

However, rip-off by CORPORATIONS add another 6% to it --
that compares with a reported low of 12% to a high of 26% re private --

THOUGH, I understand there is much hidden profit in private and often over 26% --

I'm trying to remember where I got the figure of 2.3 million jobs.

You could try looking on Conyer's website or Kucinich's . . . ??

If I come across it again, I'll repost it --!!

[CTyankee]

16. If people didn't fear they'd lose health care if they changed jobs, there would be a lot more

mobility between jobs for people who really need to move on and be more productive elsewhere. Ditto people who'd love to start their own business but lack health care if they leave their present jobs. We're losing on the productivity and the inventive area of job growth. Plus, how is it good that we have a population that has terrible or no health care? A productive society is a healthy society, right?

[PatSeg]

11. And it would be a boom for small businesses

that can no longer afford to provide insurance for all their employees. Republicans are always bringing up "small businesses" when truthfully they don't care about them. How many small businesses died or never get off the ground because of the out of control expenses that come with employee health insurance?

[defendandprotect]

13. So true . . .

Yes, they don't care about small businesses -- they care about helping
large corporations knock out any competititon.

[PatSeg]

14. Yes

It is large corporations who finance them, not the "little guy" they profess to represent. Just a bunch of hypocritical, lying opportunists.

[earth mom]

15. Yes, if it can be grabbed from the greedy hands of the insurance companies.

Otherwise, those bastards will pocket the money.

Bank on it.

[Hamlette]

17. 50 million? We're not there. . . yet. n/t