Recently I heard Howard Dean say that in Vermont they have had universal health care for children under 18 for 15 years. And of course under Medicare we have had universal care for those 65 and older since 1965.
The question is, if we can do the above, why can't we go the next step and make it universal? What is it that the Republicans fear so much about it? What is it that all European countries have figured out, but we can't seem to?
The Republican plan is to leave the control in the hands of private insurance companies. In fact, the current plan would expand the role of private insurance companies, as coverage would be mandated through the private system for every American.
Talk about the fox guarding the henhouse! Private insurance companies exist to make the maximum profit for their sharehodlers, not to promte the public welfare. Current plans mandating that the companies can't reject an applicant for a pre-existing condition will only drive up premiums past their already ridiculous heights.
It is a damn hame that Obama and the Democrats are so willing to cave in on providing real health care reform, which can only come through a single-payer system. And it is a damn shame that archaic Senate rules require 60% approval, instead of a simple majority.
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Yeah, if ever there were a time to move to a simply majority vote in the Senate, it woud be now.
On the bright side, I did hear Bernie Sanders' analysis of the new bill. He supports universal single-payer and supported the pubic option as an alternative, and he is a very trusted source for policy analysis for me. He is always honest and clear. He said it would be no worse than the previous public option bill.
As for the more depressing side, another trusted source of mine, Ted Rall, gives a summary of current scientific evidence, which points to a low survivability of human civilization right now due to global warming. http://www.uexpress.com/tedrall/
Basically the Republican part (aided by the Blue Dogs) played Obama for a chump. They used his obsession with negotiating with a party that have whose only interest is to eviscerate him against him. The Republicans can count the Health Care as a victory even if it passes.
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