On our favorite subject, health care reform, there are some gains in terms of popular support for single payer national health insurance, but it cannot be denied that the presidential debates have never seriously evaluated true reform-Medicare for all, single payer.
Happily the congressional scene is somewhat better. As we speak, 91 members of congress (all democrats so far) have indicated their support for HB 676, Representative Conyers bill which would bring the blessings of Medicare for all and, even more important, bring health care on a solid basis to our entire nation.
The game plan for progressives, it seems to me, is to maximize the members of congress committed to reform. Also, of course, we need sponsors and growing support in the Senate. If we can “hit the ground running” in November, we have a serious opportunity for success, assuming we elect a progressive president. We have a Rooseveltian (Franklin that is) situation. There are many pressing challenges that must be addressed, but a breakthrough on health care (think Lyndon Johnson) offers the best promise for an abrupt shift away from the economic morass that has cursed our country for the past eight years…
If we can elect enough of the congressional challengers who support HR 676, we can win this one.
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My congresswoman is the Bee's Knees re HR676
Her letter responding to my inquiries:
Thank you for contacting me to express your support for H.R. 676, the "National Health Insurance Act." I am pleased to learn your views on this issue and I appreciate the opportunity to share mine.
As you know, the "National Health Insurance Act" would essentially extend Medicare-like benefits to all U.S. residents by establishing the United States National Health Insurance (USNHI) Program. The USNHI would provide for all medically necessary care, such as primary care and prevention, prescription drugs, emergency care, and mental health services. The legislation would also place increased emphasis on improving quality, affordability, and access to care.
Throughout the world, the United States is considered to have some of the best health care. We have the most advanced medical technology, the most highly trained medical professionals, and institutes and centers dedicated to finding cures for countless diseases. At the same time, the United States has approximately 47 million uninsured, including almost 9 million uninsured children. In one of the wealthiest countries in the world, we have many individuals who are unable to get the basic care that they need in order to be healthy and productive. This is simply unacceptable and I am committed to making universal health care a top priority.
Thankfully, more and more people are beginning to understand the pressing need to provide everyone with access to quality health care. It is time that Congress heed the call for action and work in a bipartisan way on meaningful health care reform. As we prepare for a new Congressional session and a new Administration, I believe that that time has come. As Vice Chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, which has jurisdiction over much health care legislation, please know that I will make universal health care a top priority and that I will keep your views in mind as H.R. 676 progresses.
Thank you again for taking the time to share your thoughts. Please feel free to visit my website at www.house.gov/degette for further information. There you can sign up for my e-newsletter to stay up-to-date on current events in Congress.
Damn skippy, Congresswoman, and right on.
intellectual honesty
Since I was raked over the coals on this site on numerous occasions for supporting Health Care for America Now, would it kill y'all to mention that John Conyers supports it now and understands its role as building a grassroots movement outside the system to go after the insurance companies who want to thwart change?
Or wouldn't that fit the program?
You've got privileges...
... so why don't you (cross-)post on it? Given that you're a subject matter expert?
Glad to see the memories linger, though. (I'll need to check the post out to see if the outcome is in anybody's interest, of course.)
NOTE Thanks for the
smearsnarkcreative remark on "the program." As you must have noticed, there's an incredibly broad range of opinion here, due to our open posting "program" (see above). Intellectual honesty cuts both ways, ne c'est pas?[ ] Very tepidly voting for Obama [ ] ?????. [ ] Any mullah-sucking billionaire-teabagging torture-loving pus-encrusted spawn of Cthulhu, bless his (R) heart.
"I’ll need to check the post out..."
That sounds incredibly "open"
Yeah, when you write it
Or give me a link.
Thanks for trying to assign me work and allocate my time, though! Creative!
By "open," just to be clear, I mean that we have a broad range of opinion, from posters who are vehemently in favor of Obama, to others who are vehemently in favor of McCain, through greens and all the way to nothing on top or undecided. There aren't a lot of blogs these days that permit that level of, er, open-ness. The "intellectually honest" ones do, of course.
NOTE To be clear, by "check out" I mean read and examine before agreeing, not "check out" like a library, or "check out" as in queue and approve. Regular posters and readers, as opposed to casual visitors, would know that; whatever's posted goes up. Have at it!
[ ] Very tepidly voting for Obama [ ] ?????. [ ] Any mullah-sucking billionaire-teabagging torture-loving pus-encrusted spawn of Cthulhu, bless his (R) heart.