Robert Reich Explains The Public Option

3 Comments

  1. 1
    Bill Berggren says:

    Many countries spend 1/3 as much as we do and the people live several years longer on average. It is illegal for me to test my own blood in California without doctors permission. I believe to put your hands in the trust of government or even doctors could shorten your life. Self-directed health care is the best and cheapest.

    They say people in the Midwest spend 1/2 as much on medicare than people in New Jersey for worse care. Too many specialists and open schedules makes people go to the doctor more often in New Jersey. It becomes a network of doctors scamming medicare. Iowa and New Jersey should receive the same amount of money per person. Thus, the only way to do this is give each person the same amount. Salaried doctors of clinics like the mayo clinic offer the best care at lower price. Rather than insurance, you might belong to a clinic.

    1. Remove the business health care insurance deduction. This puts insurance in hands of your employer.

    2. Put $1500 for each person into medical savings account or mandatory voucher. Adjust this for inflation based on national debt per person, as all debt is money. Total cost $450 billion for 300 million people. The present system is about $3 trillion, thus $2 trillion is saved. So take the debt in trillions divide by population and divide by 25 to determine voucher amount. There might be other adjustments for age.

    3. In industries that use illegal labor such as farming, construction, or textiles, a tax must be placed on the employers. In areas where illegals are self employed such as gardeners, increase county property taxes based on estimated costs at hospitals. Foreign visitors must pay $1500/365 or $4.10 for each day they spend in the US. Thus everyone is covered.

    4. Follow the advice of Ron Paul on making you to purchase malpractice insurance when you go into surgery.

    5. Pre-existing conditions aren’t important because you always have insurance or member of a clinic.

  2. 2
    jacksmith says:

    Why A Strong Public Option Is Essential – By jacksmith — Working Class

    Robert Reich explains the pubic option http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBi8A_HutII&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fcodycodester.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F09%2Frobert-reich-explains-public-option.html&feature=player_embedded#t=159

    It’s not just because more than two thirds of the American people want a single payer health care system. And if they cant have a single payer system 77% of all Americans want a strong government-run public option on day one (86% of democrats, 75% of independents, and 72% republicans). Basically everyone.

    It’s not just because according to a new AARP POLL: 86 percent of seniors want universal healthcare security for All, including 93% of Democrats, 87% of Independents, and 78% of Republicans. With 79% of seniors supporting creating a new strong Government-run public option plan, available immediately. Including 89% of Democrats, 80% of Independents, and 61% of Republicans, STUNNING!!

    It’s not just because it will lower cost. Because a strong public option will dramatically lower cost for everyone. And dramatically improved the quality of care everyone receives in America and around the World. Rich, middle class, and poor a like.

    It’s not just because it will save trillions of dollars and prevent the needless deaths of millions more of YOU, caused by a rush to profit by the DISGRACEFUL, GREED DRIVEN, PRIVATE FOR PROFIT MEDICAL INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX!

    It’s not just because every expert in every field, including economist, and Nobel laureates all agree that free market based healthcare systems don’t work. Never have and never will. The US has the only truly free market based healthcare system in the World. And as you all know now, IT IS A DISASTER!

    It’s not just because providing or denying medically necessary care for profit motivations is wrong. Because it is WRONG! It’s professionally, ethically, and morally REPUGNANT!, Animalistic, VILE and EVIL.

    THE REASON THE PUBLIC OPTION IS ESSENTIAL:

    The public option is ESSENTIAL because over 200 million of you are trapped in the forest of the wolves. Which is the forest of the DISGRACEFUL, GREED DRIVEN, PRIVATE FOR PROFIT MEDICAL INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX! With no way out except through needless inhumane suffering, and DEATH. While the wolves tear at your flesh, and rip you limb from lib. Then feast on your lifeless bodies like a dead carcase for transplant parts.

    At the most vulnerable times of your lives (when you were sick and hurting), millions of you have had to fight and loose cruel, but heroic battles. Fighting against the big guns of the DISGRACEFUL, GREED DRIVEN, PRIVATE FOR PROFIT MEDICAL INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX! in the forest of the wolves. All because you have no place else to go. You have no other CHOICE!

    But the PUBLIC OPTION will give you someplace safe to go. And it will give us someplace safe to take you. The public option will be your refugium (your refuge). Where the wolves cannot get at you when your down, hurting, and vulnerable. Where everyone who needs it can find rest, security, comfort and the care they need. Protected by the BIG GUNS of We The People Of The United States. THE MOST POWERFUL PEOPLE AND COUNTRY ON EARTH.

    This is why it is so critical that we do not lead another 50 million vulnerable, uninsured Americans into the forest of the wolves, without the protections of a Strong Government-run public option. We The People Of The United States MUST NOT LET THAT HAPPEN to any more of our fellow Americans. If healthcare reform does not contain a strong public option on day one. YOU MUST! KILL IT. Or you will do far more harm than good. And millions more will die needlessly. Rich, middle class, and poor a like.

    To those who would continue to obstruct good and true healthcare reform for the American people, and who seek to trap millions more vulnerable Americans in the forest of the wolves. We will continue to fight you. We are prepared to wage all out war against you, and will eagerly DESTROY! you. Time…is…UP! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! No Co-op’s! No Triggers!

    Healthcare reform can be the GREATEST! Accomplishment of our time and century. A time when future generations may say of us, that we were all, AMERICAS GREATEST GENERATIONS.

    BUT WE MUST ACT!

    I therefore call on all my fellow Americans and the peoples of the World. To join us in this fight so that we may finish becoming the better America that we aspire to be for everyone.

    SPREAD THE WORD!

    I have been privileged to be witness as many of you fought, and struggled to take your first breath, and your last breath on this earth. Rich, middle class, and poor a like. Life is precious.

    Whatever the cost. WE! MUST SUCCEED.

    God Bless You My Fellow Human Beings

    jacksmith — Working Class

    Senator Bernie Sanders on healthcare (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSM8t_cLZgk&feature=player_embedded)

  3. 3
    Ron Chusid says:

    The solutions here show the usual lack of understanding of health care often seen by conservatives and libertarians.

    “It is illegal for me to test my own blood in California without doctors permission.”

    I really doubt that but I don’t know the specific laws in California. In most, if not all, of the country there are private companies which will run a variety of lab tests which people can purchase outside of seeing a doctor.

    “Self-directed health care is the best and cheapest.”

    No, most people outside of medicine  (especially those who think they do) lack the necessary knowledge to self-direct their health care. Conservatives often talk of saving money this way but what really happens is that people avoid paying for preventive and routine medical care of chronic diseases. This ultimately leads to poorer outcomes and higher expenses.

    “Salaried doctors of clinics like the mayo clinic offer the best care at lower price.”

    The illogic here is

    1) The Mayo Clinic offers excellent care (true)

    2) The May Clinic has doctors on salary (true)

    Therefore : Having doctors on salary results in better care (sometimes true but often false). There are many variables. I know of other situations where the predominant clinics in town with salaried doctors do not provide very good care.

    “Rather than insurance, you might belong to a clinic.”

    Belonging to a clinic does not replace health insurance. What if you desire to see a specialist who does not work for the particular clinic? What if you are traveling and need care when away from your clinic?

    Removing the health care insurance deduction does not really address the current problems.

    Medical Savings Accounts might be good for some out of pocket expenses but they are not a replacement for insurance.

    Ron Paul’s solution, as is most of what Ron Paul says, is simplistic and ignores the real issues. This idea would only work (even if not desirable) if there was absolutely no way to sue those responsible for damages. Even if we went to such an absurd system , Paul’s solution is still ridiculous. Malpractice involves far more than mishaps during surgery. A common source of malpractice suits are based upon failure to diagnose medical problems which (at least in the view o f the plaintiff) should have been diagnoses by the physician. Besides, Paul’s solution still doesn’t address the real problem of with malpractice of there being a poor correlation between those who actually receive damages and those who allege damages and file suits.

    Point five makes no sense at all. Having insurance or being a member of a clinic by itself does not alter the problem with pre-existing conditions. It is people who currently have insurance who find that claims are denied, and sometimes an entire policy is canceled, due to an insurance company claiming something is a pre-existing condition.

     

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