[Iowa-dx] Clarification: Kucinich Supports Single-Payer Universal
National Care
iagp-cochair@usa.net
iagp-cochair@usa.net
Tue, 01 Jan 2008 15:50:30 -0600
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<p> <font color=3D"#000000" face=3D"arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size=3D"2=
"> By my joke about Christian Scientists, what I meant was -</font>
</p>
<p><font color=3D"#000000" face=3D"arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size=3D"2"=
> most of the Democrats are proposing a mandate that everyone purchase in=
surance, which could cost each American thousands of dollars a year (such=
as we see today). Opposition to such a mandate would appeal especially t=
o the pocketbooks of those people who would never use that insurance even=
if they were forced to purchase it, for example those who reject the fal=
sehood of mortal medicine. I have never known a Christian Scientist to ev=
angelize by insisting that those outside of the faith should abandon cont=
emporary medical care. However, as we continue on the path of for-profit =
medicine we have been on, more and more people are turning to faith-based=
healing by necessity, as they cannot afford standard mortal medicine. Wh=
ich ain't all bad - there is a lot of wisdom in alternative medicine. Som=
e ailments are not really healed by the magic pills sold for profit by bi=
g pharma. However, for those cases where modern medicine has been shown t=
o be safe and effective, it should also be available for those who choose=
to use it, regardless of income.
<br /> </font>
</p>
<p><font color=3D"#000000" face=3D"arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size=3D"2"=
>So how do we pay for it? Two standard answers: either by raising taxes o=
r by collecting insurance premiums (what is this voucher idea?). Regardle=
ss whether you pay Blue Cross or Uncle Sam, what really has to be address=
ed is the expense of medical care. Shopping around for reasonably priced =
health care just isn't working. If you have acute appendicitis with sever=
e pain, and you need an operation immediately, do you do comparison shopp=
ing and find a surgeon and a hospital, (and nurses, and an anesthesiologi=
st...) that is within budget?
<br /></font>
</p>
<p><font color=3D"#000000" face=3D"arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size=3D"2"=
> There's a lot of expense directly related to the profit motive in the i=
nsurance industry, in the for-profit hospitals, our highly-paid doctors, =
and in the for-profit drug companies. But there is also a lot of expense =
in the obfuscated bureaucracy of myriad insurance companies with their co=
nfusing rules that force health-care providers to spend great effort to g=
et paid. Furthermore, there is a sizable amount of bloat in a system that=
found it could get away with increasing prices, because complacent custo=
mers didn't question the cost, they just assumed the insurance will cover=
it. Not to mention expenses that arise from the implications of malpract=
ice litigation - malpractice insurance, excessive CYA testing ...
<br /></font>
</p>
<p><font color=3D"#000000" face=3D"arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size=3D"2"=
>Socialized medicine takes out the profit motive, takes out the obfuscate=
d beareaucracy, and might take out the bloat. Malpractice will still be a=
n issue. Torte reform doesn't appeal to me because we do need a system to=
get rid of the bad doctors, and to make up for their mistakes. Socialize=
d medicine won't necessarily change the fact that we have a shortage of d=
octors - they rush to see as many patients as possible in a day, giving e=
ach maybe 10 minutes. Make an appointment, it may be a month before you g=
et in. We need to change the system of education so that we are training =
more doctors. The AMA rigged the system to maintain a perpetual shortage,=
so as to keep the existing doctors rich.
<br /></font>
</p>
<p><font color=3D"#000000" face=3D"arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size=3D"2"=
>I don't know if that's what you meant by "the falsehood of mortal medici=
ne".</font>
</p>
<p><font color=3D"#000000" face=3D"arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size=3D"2"=
>
<br /></font>------ Original Message ------
<br /> <b>Received: </b>Tue, 01 Jan 2008 11:40:03 AM CST
<br /> <b>From: </b>Daryl Northrop - Co Chair Iowa Green Party <dnor=
throp@PolkCoGreens.org>
<br /> <b>To: </b>iowa-dx@gp-us.org
<br /> <b>Subject: </b>Re: [Iowa-dx] Clarification: Kucinich Supports S=
ingle-Payer Universal National Care
<br />
<br />
<br />
</p>
<blockquote style=3D"border-left: 2px solid rgb(16, 16, 255); padding-lef=
t: 5px; margin-left: 5px; width: 100%;">Interesting point, Wendy. My fath=
er, an ardent Christian Scientist, may
<br /> have to weigh in on this one. :):):)
<br />
<br /> I suppose opposing the expansion of healthcare in any form is a =
way of
<br /> rejecting the falsehood of mortal medicine, and encourage people=
to
<br /> adopt a "faith-based" approach to healing.
<br />
<br /> However, the rhetorical question of "Who would Jesus deny health=
care
<br /> to?" comes to mind.
<br />
<br /> I'm going to stop typing now, before I am struck my lightening..=
=2E...
<br />
<br /> Daryl
<br />
<br /> Wendy Barth wrote:
<br /> > good summary of all the democratic and republican candidate=
s'
<br /> > positions on health care is at
<br /> >
<br /> > http://www.americansforhealthcare.org/storage/materials/AHC=
_Comparision%20Booklet.pdf
<br /> >
<br /> >
<br /> > Most of the Democrats "achieve universal access" by requiri=
ng everyone
<br /> > to purchase insurance and advocating a hybrid of public and=
private
<br /> > insurance, with individual differences in how the public in=
surance is
<br /> > allocated. Gravel and Kucinich have single-payer plans whic=
h do away
<br /> > with insurance, Gravel's uses vouchers (?)
<br /> >
<br /> > Most of the Republicans "oppose legally mandated universal =
coverage"
<br /> > (angling for the Christian Scientist vote?)
<br /> >
<br /> >
<br /> >
<br /> >
<br /> > ------ Original Message ------
<br /> > *Received: *Mon, 31 Dec 2007 08:38:03 PM CST
<br /> > *From: *dr_pac-man@mchsi.com
<br /> > *To: *iowa-dx@gp-us.org
<br /> > *Cc: *kputman@mchsi.com (kelley putman), tpfeiff@earthlink.=
net
<br /> > *Subject: *[Iowa-dx] Clarification: Kucinich Supports Singl=
e-Payer
<br /> > Universal National Care
<br /> >
<br /> >
<br /> > I was wrong.
<br /> >
<br /> > To clarify;
<br /> >
<br /> > Kucinich supports a universal national single-payer health =
care
<br /> > system which is
<br /> > the position of the Green Party platform.
<br /> >
<br /> > No other Democratic or Republican candidate supports our po=
sition,
<br /> > which I
<br /> > understand was the position of the Democratic Party platfom=
from the
<br /> > time of
<br /> > Harry Truman until Bill Clinton was nominated for President=
in 1992.
<br /> > Please
<br /> > correct me if I'm wrong. I feel that what was once a majori=
ty
<br /> > position in the
<br /> > Democratic Party has been swept away in the Party's movemen=
t to the
<br /> > right.
<br /> >
<br /> > http://www.richardsonforpresident.com/issues/healthcare
<br /> >
<br /> > 2004 Green Party Platform
<br /> > http://www.gp.org/platform/2004/socjustice.html#1004611
<br /> >
<br /> > Cosponsors fof The National Health Insurance Bill (HR 676)
<br /> > http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:HR00676:@@@P
<br /> >
<br /> > Peace,
<br /> >
<br /> > Bob
<br /> >
<br /> >
<br /> >
<br /> > ---------------------- Original Message: ------------------=
---
<br /> > From: "Kelley Putman" <kputman@mchsi.com>
<br /> > To: <tpfeiff@earthlink.net>, <dr_pac-man@mchsi.com=
>,
<br /> > <iowa-dx@gp-us.org>
<br /> > Subject: Re: [Iowa-dx] Richardson and Kucinich support Univ=
ersal
<br /> > Health Care
<br /> > Date: Sun, 30 Dec 2007 02:26:01 +0000
<br /> >
<br /> > > Richardson also supports universal health care.
<br /> > >
<br /> > > Kelley
<br /> > >
<br /> > >
<br /> > > ----- Original Message -----
<br /> > > From: <tpfeiff@earthlink.net>
<br /> > > To: <dr_pac-man@mchsi.com>; <iowa-dx@gp-us.or=
g>
<br /> > > Sent: Saturday, December 29, 2007 8:08 PM
<br /> > > Subject: Re: [Iowa-dx] Only Kucinich supports Universa=
l Health Care
<br /> > >
<br /> > >
<br /> > > > If Karen Kubby isn't on this list, would someone =
ask her to
<br /> > share her
<br /> > > > caucus experiences? I'm trying to visualize a jug=
gler at the
<br /> > moment when
<br /> > > > she has an A and a Z in the air with DEF in hand.=
When fatigue
<br /> > begins to
<br /> > > > take its toll, which set of letters will be the f=
irst to fall?
<br /> > Will there
<br /> > > > ever be a mid-air meeting/collision, or is the ju=
ggler such a
<br /> > master of
<br /> > > > her
<br /> > > > craft that there will always be uniform separatio=
n?
<br /> > > >
<br /> > > > Ted Pfeiff
<br /> > > > Scott County
<br /> > > >
<br /> > >
<br /> > > _______________________________________________
<br /> > > Iowa-dx mailing list
<br /> > > Iowa-dx@lists.gp-us.org
<br /> > > http://lists.gp-us.org/mailman/listinfo/iowa-dx
<br /> > _______________________________________________
<br /> > Iowa-dx mailing list
<br /> > Iowa-dx@lists.gp-us.org
<br /> > http://lists.gp-us.org/mailman/listinfo/iowa-dx
<br /> >
<br /> >
<br /> >
<br /> > _______________________________________________ Iowa-dx mai=
ling list
<br /> > Iowa-dx@lists.gp-us.org http://lists.gp-us.org/mailman/list=
info/iowa-dx
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</blockquote> =
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