The Ed Show: Fighting for Single-Payer (Video)
Here is the 11 minute clip of Ed Schultz’s interview with Dr. Margaret Flowers of PNHP about single-payer healthcare and her arrest at the Senate Finance roundtable discussion.
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Thank you to Ed Schultz, host of The Ed Show, for a WONDERFUL show tonight! It was terrific. I encourage all to watch it and to thank Ed for his support.
Thanks to the Baucaus 8 for their bravery and for being an inspiration to so many in the fight for real healthcare reform.
Sadly, all of our lawmakers, Democrats and Republicans alike, are in the pockets of big business and certain powerful lobbies. In every industrialized country that offers a national healthcare program, the payer (insurance company) is NOT allowed to operate for profit. Providers can be for profit, but not the payment source. There’s a huge conflict of interest when those who pay the bills are making profits. They deny and ration care, and even refuse to insure certain groups of people (those who most need coverage). One of the problems is that Americans are totally ignorant as to how other countries operate and what the various options are. Nor do they understand the risk to this country’s economy and public health when people don’t have access to affordable healthcare . All they hear is “socialized medicine”, and are immediately turned off. There needs to be a huge education campaign addressed to the American people.
Single payer has lots of doctors on board but we need more. I was in a public hospital recently wearing my PNHP pin and the nurse taking my vital signs asked me about the pin. I had to explain to her what single payer meant, plainly put: the insurance companies must get out of the medical insurance business. That is the bottom line. She wanted to know how that would affect doctors’ and nurses’ incomes. That seemed to be her main concern and she was clearly doubtful. I tried to reassure her that in Canada doctors were fairly compensated. I think many medical professionals fear that they would be paid like lowly government bureaucrats instead of the professionals they are. They need to be educated on this point and understand how a single payer system would work from their standpoint. Then I think even more of them would support single payer.
And More people will become doctors and if we let other doctors can come here from France and Poland and Iran …there are some very very smart Doctors over there ..I know I read …other than American news ..The interns will get more practice ! And there should be Big incentives for going to medical school or nursing school ..heck I would go …But not until I can treat ALL People the same …regardless of their ability to pay or not ..I would go POSTAL if I seen someone miss-treated in any way !
I want to go to Congress and show them my problems and tell them of other Health Care Horror stories and how much money I spent for 17 years and I only used it one time and was dropped …after cancer ..no longer would Blue cross cover me again for female cancer ..And the Doctor gave me VIOXX for it and he got a bonus and a vacation and I got a Ultra sound probe broke off in me to get the cancer removed ..And now i have something I want to show the members of congress …in Person …so they can see …how much I need medical attention and The Dept.of Human services tells me I do NOT Qualify …I have to have children …or live under a bridge and maybe then I will not qualify …only for death …
yes the Democrats are hiding and Baucus is disgusting. Ed failed to point out that the industry contributions to him have no operations in his home state! ( Business can buy the Senators in the thinly populated states- and does). Stabenow is presiding over the collapse of manufacturing across the midwest largely due to healthcare obligations- and she can’t even say she wants single payer.
I think it is time for national poll that asks 2 questions:
1. Would you like to have an comparable cost/coverage option to employer provided health insurance ? y/n
I’m getting very tired of the OBAMA line:” most americans are satisfied with their insurance”- I’m not and most others I talk to are not either. Let’s see the numbers!
2. Do you think the USA should adopt a government health plan like Medicare to cover all citizens? Y/N
AARP is doing a healthcare conference in our area with 2 congress memebers in tow.. What a joke as they talk about healthcare reform without even mentioning single payer as a solution.. When single payer was brought up by an audience member it was deemed politically unfeasable by one of the members of Congress. One of these congressmen was elected in 2005 as an advocate of HR676.. After a few months in office he thumbed his nose at the people who got him elected and changed his mind on HR676.. His name is Jason Altmire.. In the 2008 election ,two af his biggest contributors were health insurance and pharmaceutical companies…What a surprise… We need to expose these people for what they are, puppets for the health insurance industry.. We also need to get them booted out of office in the next election.. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!!!!!!!
This cooperate health care is a JOKE to this day on a blogg I read about a woman here in Ft.Worth area had paid a Insurance company 2 checks in the amount of $500 ea. and they CASHED them and waited 2 WEKKS and told her they will not cover her because of> Pre-exsisting conditons ..and she asked for her checks back ….Now Mind You THEY CASHED them and NOW are giving her the run around about returning her MONEY !!!!!! Nows its 3 weeks and they keep giving her the run around …NO CHANGE in AMERICA NO CHANGE in Sight …The President we have now is another Liar just like the last one …every time Bush opened his mouth was Lie after Lie …And President Obama is following suit …when He said No More Lobbiests in the White House …well HELL they were sitting at the Health Care reform and TODAY they Stood Next to OBAMA on National TV and all with Big Smiles on their faces…..because we ant getting health Care for all …more and more people will have to die …have to …I may be the next …I regret voting for such a mouse …
AARP is one big insurance company, in the business of selling insurance. They don’t speak for older Americans.