John Edwards Healthcare Press Conference

[be inspired]

Run time: 10:17 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=no8EBlwR6As   Posted on YouTube: June 15, 2007 By YouTube Member: Views on YouTube: 0   Posted on DU: June 15, 2007 By DU Member: be inspired Views on DU: 952

 
Speaking in Detroit yesterday, John Edwards expanded on his already excellent health care plan, detailing the cost savings.

Health care is an issue that really concerns me, and I don't think we should settle for less than universal health care. We spend so much money on health care in this country, we ought to be getting it already.

In this refinement of his health care plan, I particularly like Edwards's plans to force the insurance companies to put most of their money into patient care, manage chronic care, and bring costs down for breakthrough drugs. If you like what you see as much as I do, please kick in $5-$10 to help my One Corps group reach its goal of raising $5,000 for John Edwards. We're more than halfway there!

[Carolina Voice]

1. This is excellent

He already had the best health care plan yet presented and now he is fine tuning it. Way to go, John!

[seashorelady]

2. Really good diary and video

Edwards' plan is brilliant, in that it gives one a choice, and will certainly lead to single payer in the future. It also includes, mental health, dental, and eye care.

[waiting for hope]

3. That' my future President!

K&R!!

:bounce:

[dk2]

4. Health care

Edwards and the total Package!

Edwards 2008!

[be inspired]

5. Donation link

I just realize the donation link in my post above does not work. Here it is again:

https://johnedwards.com/action/contribute/mygrassroots/?page_id=Mjc2MDc

[Gloria]

6. He raises a lot of points that are often overlooked...the idea about

the "prize" for developing a drug so that it can go generic immediately vs the present patent system is really interesting.....

[ultraist]

7. K&R for TRUE Universal HealthCare!

:kick:

[Limelight]

8. I like it.

It's a good plan and it's substantive stuff that I've also thought about myself when pondering the problem. I like him more and more as I learn more about his ideas. I do think he was missing two big points that are important and he needs to address them cuz they're part and parcel of the things that drive up health care costs and cause people to see medical care more often.

1. Tort Reform- Yeah, those are dirty words among most dems the thing is if we open our eyes stuff like this Jackass in DC suing for 54 million over a pair of lost pants and the dry cleaners... Anybody with a brain should know that this kinda crap has to stop. We have to stop allowing our justice system to be a slot machine where you put any kinda old crap in and see what you get out.

I don't like that crap the republicans proposed back in the day... "Oh, the doctor cut off the wrong leg? We're so sorry. Here, here's 50 cents so you can go buy a new sock to put over your stump. That's not the crap I'm talking about. I'm talking about caps on punitive awards that max out in the hundreds of thousands. That doesn't mean people wouldn't be reimbursed for the cost of the legal counsel and bills they've incurred due to injury thus insuring that medical bills and lawyer's fees wouldn't eat up all their reward when they win a legitimate case. The cap would be multiplied by however many plaintiffs you have in a class action case and there would be no cap in a case where whatever the people who are being sued did resulted in death.

You wanna make sure these rewards sting those who's negligence got someone else injured, but at the same time you can't make the possibility of suing look like such a get rich quick scheme that every schmuck with a gleam in his eye (and no legitimate case) decides to chance it thus driving up the cost of malpractice insurance (which is partially behind skyrocketing costs) and clogging up the system and slowing it down for people who have true, legitimate claims.

2. Fast/Junk foods- This country has an epidemic of obesity. Hell I'll admit it, I'm half hooked on soda (thus high fructose corn syrup which is the main ingredient of them) so I ain't trying to judge anyone here. However, I'm real enough with myself to know, now that I'm getting older and gaining weight, that this kind of crap plus stuff I eat when I'm on the run is only going to increase the likely hood that I'm going to come down with something like heart disease or high blood pressure or diabetes. It's eating all this crap that make so many of us need to see the damn doctor in the first place.

Now we all know prohibition, no matter what it's on (alcohol then, drugs now), doesn't work, not to mention and it's America so I'm no fan of telling people what they can and can't do (within reason you understand) so I don't think it's right to tell people they can't have the ho-hos and the ring dings and my personal favorite Cherry Coke. But since it's those kind of individual choices that make you more susceptible to needing more medical care I think it should get taxed or surcharged like cigarettes. It's fine if you eat or drink crap, but when you do, since you're making it more likely you'll take more out of the health care system you should have to pay more in. Seems fair to me. I'm willing to pay for my sip of the nectar of the gods (Cherry Coke:toast: ).

We can't just try to improve how the health care system takes care of us without addressing how we take care of ourselves.

Still it's a good plan and I'm encouraged we got a candidate that has more than platitudes to throw at the problem.

[tired_old_fireman]

9. I agree that High Fructose Corn Syrup is evil stuff, but

who will have a chance winning an election on a platform that he or she will raise the price of coke and bread?

[tired_old_fireman]

10. Be inspired indeed!

Great post my friend.

This plan may not make Edwards a rock star, but it will make him a god if he can pull this off. This would improve the lives of millions upon millions of Americans. Heck, it would save the lives of millions of Americans.