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Healthcare’s Enigma-In-Chief

By David Sirota

The most stunning and least reported news about President Obama’s press conference with health industry executives this week wasn’t those executives’ willingness to negotiate with a Democrat. It was that Democrat’s eagerness to involve those executives in a discussion about healthcare reform even as they revealed their previous plans to pilfer $2 trillion from Americans. That was the little-noticed message from… return to article

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    Page 1 of 1 pages

    This is all being approached from the wrong end…

    Instead of proposing to give Americans the kind of health care our Congress has, it would be far better to see to it the Congress has the same care as their constituents.

    Congress has come to think of themselves as CEOs (due to their longtime bipartisan, cozy relationship with big business).

    If Congress were faced with trying to get coverage on a pre-existing illness, paying a huge deductible to keep premiums affordable or continuously shopping for a company who will cover their prescription — the insurance companies and pharmaceuticals would soon be forced into a reasonable pricing structure.

    United States Posted by whattheheck on May 15, 2009 at 1:50 PM

    I voted for Obama last November but I knew if REAL change was to be made the people would have to get involved and demand it! Whether it was immigration reform, healthcare reform, labor law reform, punishing Bush & Cheyney, we the people would have to get into the trenches and fight for this!

    I am disappointed with Obama’s flip flop on healthcare. I detest Max Baucus’ refusal to even consider single payer. ( He is one of the biggest recipients of healthcare insurance bribes oops, I mean campaign donations!

    The fact that 18,000 to 22,000 Americans die annually due to the corporate greed of our healthcare insurance companies is more than reason enough to demand change! We must turn on the heat and shame the Congress, the White House and all other obstructionists before the world! We did it in the 60’s and we can do it again now!

    Germany Posted by Chicano Wobbly on Jun 5, 2009 at 7:26 PM

    Barack Obama and the Democrats have killed single-payer unless a very powerful movement can be developed to overcome opposition from Obama’s Wall Street backers.

    Too much has been made by single-payer advocates of “private delivery of health care” when single-payer universal health care should be seen as a step towards a real public health care system (socialized health care).

    Our country is embroiled in controversy and debate over health care reform. Focus on the purpose of health care has been lost.

    Health care has two purposes:

    1.  Keep people healthy.
    2.  Get people well when sick.

    Our public officials squander our limited and scarce resources—- during a period of a crumbling economy—- financing wars in three countries; subsidizing the Israeli military machine; and spending trillions of dollars financing 800 U.S. military bases on foreign soil dotting the globe; and then they tell us there is no money for health care. Instead, we should be building 800 public health care centers stretching out across the United States providing a public health care system which includes:

    •  No-fees/No premiums
    •  Comprehensive   (cradle to grave)
    •  All-inclusive   (general, dental, eyes, physical therapy, prescription drugs)
    •  Universal   (everybody in; nobody out)
    •  Publicly funded
    •  Publicly administered
    •  Publicly delivered

    The United States is the wealthiest country in the world.

    We can afford to provide a first-rate, world-class, free public health care system for our own people—- if we get our priorities straight.

    We need health care reform based upon: Everybody in; all the profiteers out.

    Health care is supposed to be about people, a human right; not about profits.

    Representing workers employed in smoke-filled casinos suffering from cancers and heart & lung problems, I know a little something about why we need health care reform now.


    Alan L. Maki
    Director of Organizing,
    Midwest Casino Workers Organizing Council

    58891 County Road 13
    Warroad, Minnesota 56763
    Phone: 218-386-2432
    Cell: 651-587-5541
    E-mail: amaki000@centurytel.net

    Blog: http://thepodunkblog.blogspot.com/

    Germany Posted by alanmaki on Jun 6, 2009 at 11:42 AM
    Page 1 of 1 pages

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