Report Shows Americans Want Universal Health Care

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.laborradio.org/node/4257

Report Shows Americans Want Universal Health Care - 09/26/06

By Doug Cunningham

The Citizen’s Health Care Working Group report reflecting input from thousands of Americans around the country is being presented to President Bush and to Congress. Among its findings, that Americans want public policy guaranteeing affordable health insurance coverage for all Americans with the costs shared among government, employers and individuals.The report also finds that Americans want protections against catastrophic health care costs. AFL-CIO President John Sweeney says what is striking about the report is that Americans say they want more than incremental changes – they want universal care. Something Congress has not done in its failure to really address the nation’s health care crisis.

AUDIO story link here: http://www.laborradio.org/files/lo/winsheadlines.ram

[last1standing]

1. Time for the insurance companies to bring back Harry and Louise.

Just in case, you know. :mad:

[Jackpine Radical]

3. Sorry. Harry's policy would't cover that heart transplant.

They said it's an experimental procedure. Harry's gone now.
Louise never quite recovered from losing Harry. Then some of the catfood she had been eating turned out to be bad, so she got ptomaine and she couldn't get the ambulance to take her to the hospital. Turns out she called the wrong ambulance company & her insurance wouldn't cover it. She had been eating the catfood to stretch out her SocSec money to cover her blood pressure medication.

[last1standing]

5. You should expand that into it's own thread.

Maybe a "where are they today..." segment. :)

[Lydia Leftcoast]

8. There's the ad campaign!

Make fun of the Harry and Louise campaign and strike a blow for universal health care at the same time!

[Joe Bacon]

18. Don't worry, they will trot the DEVIOUS DUO out again

We can't have no government bureaucrat rationing health care, you know. Everything is fine with having UNELECTED CORPORATE BEAN COUNTERS doing the rationing.

Tell that to my parents, who went broke paying for their health care. Oh, I forgot, you can't, they're dead...

[Warpy]

2. Conservatives in the party consistently miss where the center lies

The center wants universal, singer payer health care and they want it yesterday.

The center wants an immediate and substantial rise in the minimum wage.

The center wants us out of Iraq, although they differ on the timetable.

The center wants to change the direction this country is headed.

THAT is where the center is, not chasing the mythical swing voter.+

[Erika]

4. Americans want to know all our citizens have health care

not just the privileged.

[madville]

6. Just don't see it ever happening

Everybody will say they want it but nobody wants to actually pay for it. The rich don't want to pay more taxes for poor peoples' health care and the poor damn sure can't pay raised taxes to cover it. The healthcare corporations and insurance companies would throw a bunch of money to politicians on both sides, enough to secure a nay vote to insure their survival. Just how will it ever become a reality ?

I don't trust the government in regards to many things, healthcare run by politicians doesn't really sound appealing. With the back room deals and media showboating they would find a way to screw it up as bad as it is now or worse.

[ret5hd]

9. "healthcare run by politicians"...

yeah, i feel really sorry for those germans, swedes, french, fins, canadians, spanish, portugese, british, etc etc etc.

:rofl:

[madville]

10. One difference

This is the American political system where money runs the show. The little laughing icon does apply, that's the thought that our healthcare system will ever resemble anything like in the European countries.

[ret5hd]

11. you're right...

i should just lay down and give up.

:rofl:

[flaminbats]

13. that's what people said about integration..

"it will never happen, at least not in the segregated south!"

It happened...and when a white southern politician was President. I believe universal healthcare will happen for one key reason. The babyboomers are only getting more health problems with time. This will get worse with time.

So how much more will young, uninsured workers pay in payroll taxes to keep Medicare solvent? The answer is nothing, unless they get something back in return. Either we are headed for an economic crises when the babyboomers start retiring, or we can make this demographic situation part of the solution. But the route we take is up to voters like you and me.

[daleo]

16. You need a dogged champion, in U.S. politics for public healthcare

Tommy Douglas championed it for about three decades in Canada before it took hold. I don't think any important U.S. politician has had the courage to keep hammering at it. Perhaps it is the corrupting effect of money on U.S. politics, which is much worse than most places in the democratic world.

[Jackpine Radical]

19. We're already payingfor niversal healthcare.

We're just not getting what we're paying for.

Right now the US spends 15% of GDP on health care. No other developed country spends as mch as 10%. (Somebody will probly find a country somewhere paying 12% & nitpick me here, but the essential point remains). They have universal coverage. We have 47 mil people uncovered. The difference? Simple. Corporate profits.

So to say we can't afford universal coverage is a lie. What we really can't cover is universal coverage plus obscene profits for the drug companies, insurance companies, and for-profit hospitals.

There is BIG $$ in health care--15% of GDP, as I said. That's why it's so hard to fight them, and that's how they've managed to sell all those myths about universal coverage.

[AX10]

7. The fifth vote!

k and r

[tabasco]

12. WTF does it matter what we want ?

The super-rich control our government and we are far away from implementing any civilized health care for the American People.

[Megahurtz]

21. Yup, I just can't see them giving it to us. n/t

[Telly Savalas]

14. That just goes to show that Americans are extremists

who are out of touch with mainstream America.

Just ask any conservative.

[Sgent]

15. Just to point out

this study does not advocate single payer (government run healthcare).

It advocates universal healthcare.

There is a significant difference -- and universal schemes that are not single payer (Austrialia, France, Germany) seem to do better than single payer schemes (Canada, British). Although either would be a major improvement.

[Phredicles]

17. Americans may want universal health care, but they won't get it until

they pull their heads out of their asses and stop voting for the "best tough guy" every stinking election...

[EarthNeedsHope]

20. This is something Chomsky often points out

Americans all want something but government does not give it to us. He calls it a "deficit of democracy"

[Vinca]

22. There was a piece about Darfur on CNN Int'l today that showed

a poor woman who died of a ruptured uterus because she couldn't afford health care. The reporters "oohed and ahed" about how said it was she died for lack of money for health care. It was all I could do not to throw hard objects at the television. Don't they realize Americans die every single day because they don't have and can't afford health insurance or health care? Sure, if my uterus ruptures or if another immediately life-threatening emergency happens, I'll get care. I'll be living the rest of my days in a Maytag box on the sidewalk, but I'll get care. On the other hand, if my kidney starts to fail and I need a transplant, I'll be up the proverbial creek without a paddle. Unless there's cash on the barrel head - or exceptionally good insurance - you're dead meat. We want universal care. We need universal care. How many ways can it be said?