Why are the top Democratic candidates speechless about real health care reform?
Al Gore, Noble Peace Prize winner and the man who won popular vote for U.S. President in 2000, has come out in support of single-payer national health insurance. Why are the top Democratic candidates scared to do so?“I strongly support universal, single-payer, government-provided — or, government-funded — healthcare. It doesn’t mean the government runs it, it has competition among the different providers. But I just think that we’ve long since reached the stage that its immoral to put people in a situation where they cannot get the medical care they need because their incomes aren’t high enough. I think it ought to be a matter of right and our current system just doesn’t work, its way too expensive. The quality of healthcare is excellent for those who have enough money to buy the very best, but lower-income and low middle-income Americans are not getting good healthcare and so many now can’t afford the private health insurance that they’re going without insurance, millions and millions of people. And I think that to eliminate the incredibly ridiculous cost of all this unnecessary paperwork and different standards for different companies, it is time to have universal health insurance.”
—Al Gore | Watch the endorsement.
The Solution to America's "SiCKO" Health Care System: Non-Profit National Health Insurance
Americans spend more money for less coverage and care because we are the only industrialized country to allow for-profit insurance companies to be middlemen in our health system. In their drive to enroll healthy (and profitable) patients and screen out the sick, private insurers waste vast sums on billing, marketing, underwriting, utilization review and other activities that enhance profits but divert resources from care and hassle patients and physicians. The paperwork they inflict on doctors and hospitals wastes hundreds of billions more each year. Replacing private insurance companies with a single-payer public program - “Medicare for All” - would save more than $350 billion per year, enough new money to provide guaranteed comprehensive health benefits for all. (New England Journal of Medicine, 2003)
Steps You Can Take To Help Win Single-Payer National Health Insurance
- Contact Your Members of Congress to tell them that you support HR 676, and they should too.
- Sign the Citizens’ Petition for single-payer national health insurance
- Write an Op-Ed or Letter to the Editor of your local paper.
- Bring materials and talk to your church, labor, community or other group about the singlepayer solution.
- At your next doctor's visit, talk to your your physician about single-payer and ask them to join Physicians for a National Health Program.
- Donate to SiCKOCure.org.
How Would a “Medicare for All” Health System be Better?
- Universal & Guaranteed: Everyone is covered for life, regardless of health or employment.
- Comprehensive: Coverage for all medically necessary care, prescriptions, and home care.
- Free Choice of doctor and hospital.
- Costs Less by saving $350 billion in administrative waste caused by private health insurance.
- Helps Job Growth and the U.S. Economy by taking the burden of health costs off of business.
 |
 |