Those of you that support single payer instead of mandated

[mmonk]

for profit insurance, here is a way for you to join the fight. Download the following petition declaring health care a civil right and HR 676 as the method to this end. Follow the instructions and when you are done, send it to Congressman Kucinich at the address given and it will be sent to your Rep. in your district. If the loons, teabaggers, birthers, deathers, and assorted weirdos can march on Washington, the least you can do is to get out and gather the signatures and addresses to carry on the fight against the insurance lobbyists that currently have control of the process going on in Washington. Thank you in advance.

Here is the http://healthcare.kucinich.us/petition/health_care_for_all_petition.pdf">download.

[Roland99]

1. Hear! Hear!

[54anickel]

2. A bump and a rec

[barbtries]

3. i've already signed onto this online

i don't want to dupe my signature - will this?

[lovelyrita]

4. I'm bringing this to the 9/13 March in Tampa.

I am not going to support mandates.

[DKRC]

5. K&R

:kick:

[slipslidingaway]

6. knr nt

[Nikki Stone1]

7. Kick and r

:kick:

[mistertrickster]

8. Obama's reforms need all the help they can get, so you challenge them with something that can never

happen here.

And we wonder why The Left doesn't have more influence in this country . . .

[AllyCat]

9. They need help because they are NOT reform!! His plan is worse than what we have now

It could happen here. It's what Thom Hartmann calls Medicare Part E for everyone. Mandated insurance is a boon for the insurance industry that is largely the problem with our health system.

Obama's plan is bad. It is really bad. And I will fight it and lose and get up another day to fight.

[mistertrickster]

10. Obviously, I disagree. Requiring insurers to cover you whether you have a

"pre-existing condition," not allowing insurers to drop you because of a major illness, the Health Insurance Exchange which puts everyone in a "pool" are all very good things--and they are do-able.

As opposed to a single-payer plan which could happen in the United States but not before the sun goes nova in a billion years . . .

[BlooInBloo]

11. Don't bother. They prefer the status quo. Possibly they think that if more and more people die...

It will help the cause.

[mistertrickster]

12. LOL. Good to see there're a few of us who think the US may have to improve

step by step rather than simply LEAP to the "perfection" of single-payer.

BTW, single-payer by itself doesn't stop increasing health care costs. A lot of foreign countries' health care is going up in cost as fast as ours is.

[BlueDemKev]

14. Trickster, where have you been?

while I was getting smacked around for saying exactly the same things you are!

Agreed, single-payer is idealistic but has absolutely no chance of getting thru Congress. And, as you said, even a single-payer system will NOT bring down the cost of health care itself.

I am ready to support Baucus' bill which obliterates "pre-existing exclusions" and cancelling someone's coverage because they get "too" sick. The coverage mandate is fair and, contrary to what Faux News commentators are saying, it is very analogous to the auto insurance requirements which exists in (almost?) every state.

[mistertrickster]

15. Smacked around? Tell me about it! Everytime I post about the benefits of

Obama care or why a single-payer plan can't fly, my post sinks to negative recommends . . . sheesh.

We should start a support-group for pragmatic health care reform here, hehe.

[mmonk]

17. Care to back up your claims with facts?

[BlueDemKev]

18. What do you need me to back-up?

Which of my "claims" (no pun intended) would you like me to back up?

[mmonk]

22. Single payer not bringing costs down.

You made the statement, present facts.

[AllyCat]

13. No, I don't prefer the status quo. The things that would actually be reform

sound like they are coming in 4-5 freakin' years. 2013?? At what point do the insurance companies just raise their rates to "cover the high risk folks?" This is watered down and will be further watered down in Congress so that insurance and the medical industrial complex win and we lose. That "small pool" for only high risk folks is destined to fail and the stupid teabagger brownshirts will say "see? it doesn't work!"

Sure, I am for single payer. And no, it probably won't pass. But if we acted like it would pass and then got a strong public option instead, it would be a huge start instead of this reform that is not reform.

Not allowing those with crummy insurance from their employers to "buy into the exchange" (that doesn't start for years until their second year with said crummy insurance is an AWFUL plan!! I am trying to prevent those people from dying in that period of time. I don't think "incremental dying rates" are reasonable or ethical.

But oh yes, I am a Billionaire-wannabe so I do prefer the status quo

[BlueDemKev]

19. Why is Obama's plan "so" bad?

It's not perfect, but how is it NOT better than what we have now?

[AllyCat]

20. Kev, it would be real reform for anyone to buy into the public plan

But instead, he's outlined a plan that can only be accessed if your employer doesn't offer one or you are unemployed. If you work at Wal-Mart that offers a horribly expensive, low coverage plan, you are SOL. On the plus side, they can't hand out applications for Medicaid when you hire on and the states get a lot of people off the rolls. The obvious downside is these people now have NO coverage and start using the ER with devastating consequences for everyone. And those of us with insurance foot the bills. But that's okay. After a year of paying through the nose and getting no care, THEN you can opt out into the "Exchange" that won't start until 2013.

The public option will have a "high risk pool" which is bound to lose money and then the Repukes and Teabaggers can say "see? socialized medicine doesn't work". Then those people are out of coverage too.

Tort reform...while it has a place in the discussion, it will hardly fix our crisis. The 'Cons love it though (then trash it on Faux Noise)!

Paying for this out of tax credits. If you don't have a job and have no income, what is a check in March or April going to do for you? Buy insurance? Or buy food and try to pay some of your mortgage or rent for a couple more months? Some have said offering it as a credit on taxes with each paycheck is different and if you are working, it is different. If you are not working, it is of no assistance at all.

And the part I hate the most is that it is mandatory insurance which the feds don't have the authority to mandate us to buy a private product, but hey, that's never stopped them before. I'm sick of insurance being in the loop of this.

Most of the "reforms" wouldn't happen until 2013!!! That is too long!

I'm all in favor of single-payer which I know isn't going to happen, especially since progressives won't even fight for it. But a strong public option that ANYONE may buy would at least help.

If I'm not understanding his plan correctly, please tell me, but that's what I heard in his speech.

[mmonk]

16. It can't happen if it isn't what is chosen. At one time, medicare couldn't happen here.

If you push for something PROVEN to work (because the facts are with single payer), maybe those that want to channel our money to a private middle man for lobby money kickbacks might compromise with a PUBLIC option.

[AllyCat]

21. Hear Hear MMonk. This is basic bargaining 101 and we have shown

our "hand" from the beginning. We have no where to go but down.