Health Care Warriors Take to the Battlefield
Email ABC News' David Chalian Reports:
As Congress settles back into Washington for another work period and with the likelihood of a bloody battle of Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor seeming remote, health care activists are preparing for their issue to move to the center ring of politics.A coalition of liberal and progressive groups announced today plans to spend "at least $82 million this year on working to support President Obama's plan and get a guarantee of quality affordable health care for all passed this year and in this Congress," according to Richard Kirsch, national campaign manager for Health Care for America Now (HCAN).The group's campaign plan calls for spending most of those resources on grassroots organizing and paid advertising including television ads. Mr. Kirsch boasts of having more than 140 organizers on the ground in 40 states at current count."With what can't compete inside with the armies of lobbyists, we can compete where it really matters — at the grassroots," said Kirsch.The coalition's initial efforts are focused on pressuring Congress to produce a health care reform bill that includes the availability of a public insurance plan that will compete with the various private plans in the market place. Opponents of the public option claim it will be near impossible for private insurers to compete with a government plan driving many of those private insurers out of business. There was little discussion at the campaign launch today about how to pay for reforming the system.Former DNC Chairman Howard Dean once again said that a health care reform plan without a public option would be a waste of money and not the offer the kind of fundamental reform proponents believe is required. "The idea that the public option is going to somehow wipe out private insurance is historically incorrect," Dean said. "Will there be changes in the insurance market? Yes, that's the purpose of having the public option. Insurance companies will have to compete." Dean said in answering his own rhetorical question. Dr. Dean also said he believes a sea change has occurred in American politics that allows for this moment to be the time when fundamental health care reform can occur."More people who are under the age of 35 years old cast a ballot in [the 2008 presidential race] than people who are over 65. That has never happened in my lifetime," said Dean. "We have seen a sea change in this country. A complete change. A generation which is center-left. They happen to be conservative probably about money, but in terms of social values and social programs and the kind of agenda on the environment, and for health care, and for equal rights for every single American, this is a center-left nation."The proponents for a public insurance option as part of health care reform will not have the battlefield to themselves, of course.Over the weekend, the Rick Scott funded "Conservatives for Patients' Rights" launched a 30-minute infomercial aimed at debunking the public option by highlighting stories of long waiting times patients experienced in the Canadian and British government sponsored systems."Anything that seems too good to be true like national health service truly is," Scott says in the infomercial.
Gulf of Mexico to Become Gulf of America? 
Can Mitt Romney Win Conservatives Back?
They may be conservative with their own money but they sure like it when they think they are spending someone elses. The only problem is that those of us who are insured and paying hefty premiums are likely to foot the bill for others with an increase in our taxes, either outright increases or having benefits taxed.
Message to center leftist and Dr Dean. There is nothing that is free.
Posted by: david | June 1, 2009, 6:40 pm 6:40 pm
The government needs to butt out of health care. We should pay for our own health care like we pay for our own auto insurance. The Congressional Budget Office just released a report stating that the private sectors of health insurance is more cost efficient than a government run health payment system, spending at least 51% less on administration than the government. It’s time for a free market solution.
Posted by: Cendyb | June 1, 2009, 7:37 pm 7:37 pm
Obama Health Care Is Bad For Your Health President Obama has stated that the US is broke so he is now saying in order to pay for health care reform he needs to break his promise of lower taxes for 95% of the people and charge everyone a 25% sales tax. This is unacceptable and will do further harm to the economy.
A Government run health care system will not only increase the cost of health care for everyone, it will reduce the quality of health care for all. Health care will need to be rationed like it is in every other Nation that has National health care. People will die standing in line waiting to seen by a doctor and be denied critical health care based on your “worth to society” as dictated by some faceless bureaucrat.
The only beneficiaries of a single payer government run health care program will be the government bureaucrats and union workers who will get the lions share of the tax payer dollar. Everyone else will suffer.
Posted by: garfield | June 1, 2009, 9:02 pm 9:02 pm
I live in the state of Vermont where Howard Dean was governor for many years.
We have a welfare state. And Dean’s wife is also a doctor who stopped taking Medicaire patients many years ago and lied about it when he was running for governor again. Our state had run off most health insurance companies. Howard is a lot of talk. Vermont can barely afford to take care of itself. Our taxes are extremely high… Our property taxes are outrageously high as well. Mine are about $10,000 a year.
Posted by: Fran | June 1, 2009, 10:52 pm 10:52 pm
“It’s time for a free market solution.” – Been there, done that and the result? America has a higher infant mortality rate than any other highly industrialized nation – all of whom have national health plans. Its time to try a government option.
Posted by: Mark from atlanta | June 2, 2009, 2:29 am 2:29 am
Interesting to note, European nationalized plans seem to take care of their populace…also, they have usurped the U.S. as far as medical innovation is concerned…this to me is an indication, that the U.S. once a superpower of medical inventiveness has now bowed down to the corruption of greed…it’s a money maker to keep us chronically ill…pharmaceutical companies have nothing to gain but lose if cures of cancer, diabetes and other debilitating diseases are found…hence the aggressiveness of European countries seeking alternatives and research within these domains.
Posted by: phallon | June 2, 2009, 5:06 am 5:06 am
And common complaints of people are…taxes will go up to pay for universal health care, yes, but one no longer needs to spend the money required to put in for employee or self insurance policies…it’s a pretty sad occurrence if many are paying $800.00 a month for an employee sponsored care, still requiring co-pays, high deductibles and are by normal standards under insured.
Posted by: phallon | June 2, 2009, 5:13 am 5:13 am
Why don’t we let the people that want a “free market solution” type of health insurance have just that and the rest of us will go with the single payer. So what happens? When single payer people get sick and need medical attention, they will be covered. When “free market” people get sick their insurance company will play doctor and deny coverage, much like they do now, or charge you (deductible) big time for the parts they do cover. Wonder how long it will take “free market” people to cry “FOWL!” We NEED health care reform in this country. The scare tactics that conservatives seem to trot out every time they oppose an issue that is good for the people of this country are over.
Posted by: js45601 | June 2, 2009, 8:06 am 8:06 am
everyone who has complaints about the way European countries run their healthcare systems should ask Europeans what they think of their healthcare…and I have.
Seems to me they are light years ahead of us. Yes this is paid for out of their taxes but not just a few EVERYONE.
In the UK their motto is “I have to pay for my neighbor’s healthcare, but they also have to pay for mine”. Here we are a bit more greedy and don’t see the logic behind that statement.
Also one can opt out of their universal HC plan and take private insurance coverage which allows them to see the doctors they prefer to see.
For those of us who WORK fulltime and support this country yet do not have access to healthcare plans this makes sense. My spouse and I both work full-time, pay our taxes, pay our bills and ask for nothing in return YET neither of us work for employers who offer HC as a benefit. So we are left having to take a private plan which we cannot afford.
You figure 6% of your yearly gross income in a tax to cover YOUR healthcare compared to what you are paying for a premiums now – it’s pretty low.
Also here we expect immediate satisfaction when it comes to our healthcare. So you have to wait if you go to the doctor with a fever – chances are you’ll live. In Europe if a person visits a doctor or hospital and it’s a life or death situation they do not wait. You might wait with a sore throat. I have found lately that the wait times in ERs is hours and hours – how is that any different than Europe? Yet it’s always the excuse people use here when comparing our healthcare to other countries – the wait. Can’t get into a doctor here for a good 2 weeks unless it’s an emergency. I don’t see the difference.
Posted by: Mary | June 2, 2009, 8:36 am 8:36 am
H Dean is correct. While web sites want to spread fear about health care in other countries, I’m sure we can find the same here. (Ever watch 20/20 and the like?)Please list the voluntary plans in this country that work. Isn’t that the problem we now face. ONLY the govt has the power to bring all parties into compliance, not necessarly agreement. I heard much of the same crap when medicare was standardzised about 1990. The sky did not fall then and it won’t fall now. I have a relitave that was just injured in CA. His HMO made them transport him from one hosp (private)to one they owned (HMO) in the midist of his treatment. So you think Europe is bad???
Posted by: IDDYWAH | June 2, 2009, 10:20 am 10:20 am
“His HMO made them transport him from one hosp (private)to one they owned (HMO) in the midist of his treatment. So you think Europe is bad??? ”
LOL, and you think that the GOVERNMENT is going to run this thing with out events like your relatives?
Name ONE program of the size and scope of “Universal Healthcare” that the government runs smoothly, effeicently and without problems such as the one you have described!
My Dad is a Korean war Vet, and he can tell match your stories and quite easily go by you.
These buffons are trying to push this in Congress are the same idiots who thought having Smokers pay for kids Healthcare was a brilliant idea! Cant wait to see how badly they mess this one up.
By the way, exactly where do you people think all this money is going to come from? Are you willing to give up your kids college funds to pay for this. Do you want a National Sales tax? Or just that increase on your current taxes that Obama told you he would NEVER do.
(Opps, he ALREADY BROKE that one when he signed the SCHIP bill, last time I looked there were plenty of smokers making less 250K!)
Will this be another fiasco like that big photo op in Ohio for those 25 cops whose jobs were “saved” by the stimulator? So much for that phony story and all the BS hype that went with it! Now we discover that the only saving of their jobs is if…say it with me people….There is a TAX INCREASE to pay for them !!!!!!!
Becareful what you wish for people….you might just get it!
Posted by: Mike_C | June 2, 2009, 11:22 am 11:22 am
The US health system needs much more than telling the gov’t to butt out, or allowing the insurance companies and private hospitals to continue as they have, or with some so-called promise to lower costs, which history shows is bunk. No, we need a new system, probably like Canada’s or Europe’s, but it must be not-for-profit. The profit motive is the reason over 50 million people in this country are uninsured or underinsured. And that will not change until the entire system changes. Gov’t is not good at everything, but the fact is that it has been much better at delivering lower-cost quality healthcare than health corporations have. Medicare is the example. Administrative costs for Medicare are about 3%, whereas with the private health industry, about 20% is admin.
Posted by: michael | June 2, 2009, 12:24 pm 12:24 pm
What makes any sane person think that the government can manage health care. Look at what the government has done to Social Security, Medicare, Public Housing, and now AIG. With this kind of a track record they have proven that they aren’t even capable of successfully operating the local burger stand. To start with where will the money come from and not cause an increase to the government debt any more than it is? In his entire 8 years in office Bush increased the debt of the US Government by roughly 4.8 Trillion dollars. In his first 60 days in office Obama has increased the debt of the government by 412.8 Billion dollars. At this rate he will increase the debt of the Government by 2.4 Trillion dollars in his first year alone and 9.9 Trillion dollars by the end of his 4 year term in office. Since the debt owed by the Government was 10.6 Trillion dollars when he took office an additional 9.9 Trillion will almost double the debt in just 4 years. This is money that the Government does not have. It was recently reported that the interest alone on the debt is nearing $1 Billion a day, that $365 Billion a year which when you look at it in those terms is a very large chunk of the federal budget. At this rate there is absolutely no money available for health care. Get real and realize that it is time to stop spending and do what should have been done long ago, cut all spending which is not specifically authorized in the constitution. There is NO money for healthcare, there is NO money for Cap and Trade, there is NO money for education reform or any other dreams in the upcoming budget. Look at what the government has done to Social Security, Medicare, Public Housing, and now AIG.
Posted by: Sandcrab1612 | June 2, 2009, 2:59 pm 2:59 pm
let me put Obamacare into a nutshell for those who have not figured it out.
1. The poor qualify for free healthcare.
2. We’ll tax everyone until they are poor.
Posted by: Sandcrab1612 | June 2, 2009, 3:07 pm 3:07 pm