Senator Sanders on the health care bill

[ProSense]

Tavis: Finally, on healthcare, and this story, as you well know, Senator, being in the thick of it, has gone back and forth, up and down, round and round every day. On any given day you don't know whether to believe as an American whether or not there is or is not going to be a public option.

As we sit here tonight, it appears that there will not be a public option in healthcare. Your thoughts?

Sanders: Well, if there is not a public option it is a very sad state of affairs, because one of the issues that we have to deal with is not only joining the rest of the industrialized world by providing healthcare to all of our people, this bill adds 31 million more people to healthcare. That's good.

But the other thing we need is cost containment. We are spending almost twice as much per capital on healthcare as any other nation. This bill is weak in terms of cost containment. A public option is actually necessary if we're going to provide competition to the private insurance companies whose only function in life is to make as much money as they possibly can.

Tavis: Am I accurate in my assessment that it appears at this point that it's not going to happen, or do you know something that I don't know that might resurrect this public option?

Sanders: Well, I'll tell you something - the situation is changing every single minute, so I would say, Tavis, stay tuned. We'll see what happens tomorrow. Let me just also add that at the end of the day, at the end of the day what this country needs to do is move toward a Medicare for all single-payer program, which is the only way that I know that you can provide universal, comprehensive, and cost-effective healthcare to all of our people.

No matter what is passed or not passed, the day will come when this country will join the rest of the industrialized world in that regard.

Tavis: Is it fair to say right quick then that no matter what is passed, to use your phrase, that the American people will be better off in some way?

Sanders: Oh, no question. There are a lot of good things in this bill. The question is there are a lot of problems with this bill as well.

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[Clio the Leo]

1. lol, not the answer I was looking for! NT

[IndianaGreen]

2. Sanders: Well, if there is not a public option it is a very sad state of affairs,

No shit!

[Vinnie From Indy]

3. Sure there a great many good things in this bill - if you happen to be invested in Big Insurance

I will offer that even the things that are being highlighted as "good" are smoke and illusions. Big Insurance will NOT play fair and they have most certainly devised strategies to deal with circumventing the "good" provisions.

[ProSense]

4. "Big Insurance will NOT play fair "

We're doomed.