Single Payer Healthcare Now: Recent Comments

Comment on Imagine getting sick, getting bills you can't pay, then being sent to jail | tennessean.com | The Tennessean

Laura Nason — 2009-10-02T03:21:15Z

I can totally relate to this family. 2 years ago I was sued by a doctor 2 days before Christmas. I had just begun receiving disability 2 months before and before the court date I had called to arrange a payment schedule. I was told that they would accept no less than half the total bill with the other half being due in 30 days. There was no way I could come up with that.
The bill is just under $2000 and my income just over $600 a month.
The day of the hearing, everyone was allowed time to try to work out an arrangement in the hallway before having the case heard. I offered again and was told the same as the first time I talked to the person.
I told the judge during the hearing and the doctor's "spokesperson" said they would garnish my wages. Turned out they couldn't garnish a penny or put any lien on my bank account because my entire income is Social Security and SSI.
If they had been willing to work with me I would have made every payment on time. About 6 months after the hearing I got a bill with a hand written note stating that "even $10 would be a help".
They made me get out in a blizzard, 2 days before Christmas, spend a whole DAY in the court house AFTER having to spend almost a half HOUR begging the guard at the door to let me in and taking my money and my house keys to "HOLD", when I was sick.
It's disgusting how people are treated when they are sick and even more disgusting to hear millionaires in congress talking about us like we're NOTHING.

Comment on Op-Ed Columnist - Until Medical Bills Do Us Part - NYTimes.com

Wellescent Health Blog — 2009-08-30T05:25:45Z

This story has some interesting numbers on how badly the current health care system is destroying the lives of those who are hit with significant illness. I had seen previous research identifying the numbers of bankruptcies from health bills and the numbers were bad, but not nearly as bad as now. Whether or not you like Obama's plan, the status quo is nothing worth defending.

Comment on Rick Sanchez Grills CPR's Rick Scott

allen tripp — 2009-08-19T18:54:49Z

my comment is that i wonder if all the people getting upset over healthcare and losing their constitutional rights have read the patriot act.

Comment on Letter To Editor To Kingwood Observer in Texas (2009-07-22)

Michael A Drennan — 2009-07-26T23:49:09Z

There is now too much confusion over health care reform.

Too many competing interests with conflicting spin of the facts, not to mention misinformation.

Why not make this a simple argument that even the "Super-Size Me", "Watch 8 hours of television a day", and fat-cat health industry lobbyists can all understand.

Just cut to the chase and stop placing names on the various plans, stop the chest-thumping "ours is better than yours" and assigning political ideology to them.

We want the same health care plan our elected senators and congressmen in Washington, DC have. Period!

Both Democrats and Republicans benefit from it. Both sides of the aisle.

Make the message short, simple, sweet and bang it home relentlessly.

The average American is not even aware of the health care and retirement benefits elected senators and congressman receive, and those elected officials are happy to keep it that way.

Bring it out into the open hard and heavy the next 6 weeks, and maybe the elected officials will get the picture and finally start making real change in our national health care industry.

Comment on Healthcare Reform Would Be A Done Deal If We Stick To The Facts

jacksmith — 2009-07-10T22:03:35Z

AMERICA’S NATIONAL HEALTHCARE EMERGENCY!

It’s official. America and the World are now in a GLOBAL PANDEMIC. A World EPIDEMIC with potential catastrophic consequences for ALL of the American people. The first PANDEMIC in 41 years. And WE THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES will have to face this PANDEMIC with the 37th worst quality of healthcare in the developed World.

STAND READY AMERICA TO SEIZE CONTROL OF YOUR NATIONAL HEALTHCARE SYSTEM.

We spend over twice as much of our GDP on healthcare as any other country in the World. And Individual American spend about ten times as much out of pocket on healthcare as any other people in the World. All because of GREED! And the PRIVATE FOR PROFIT healthcare system in America.

And while all this is going on, some members of congress seem mostly concern about how to protect the corporate PROFITS! of our GREED DRIVEN, PRIVATE FOR PROFIT NATIONAL DISGRACE. A PRIVATE FOR PROFIT DISGRACE that is in fact, totally valueless to the public health. And a detriment to national security, public safety, and the public health.

Progressive democrats the Tri-Caucus and others should stand firm in their demand for a robust government-run public option for all Americans, with all of the minimum requirements progressive democrats demanded. If congress can not pass a robust public option with at least 51 votes and all robust minimum requirements, congress should immediately move to scrap healthcare reform and request that President Obama declare a state of NATIONAL HEALTHCARE EMERGENCY! Seizing and replacing all PRIVATE FOR PROFIT health insurance plans with the immediate implementation of National Healthcare for all Americans under the provisions of HR676 (A Single-payer National Healthcare Plan For All).

Coverage can begin immediately through our current medicare system. With immediate expansion through recruitment of displaced workers from the canceled private sector insurance industry. Funding can also begin immediately by substitution of payroll deductions for private insurance plans with payroll deductions for the national healthcare plan. This is what the vast majority of the American people want. And this is what all objective experts unanimously agree would be the best, and most cost effective for the American people and our economy.

In Mexico on average people who received medical care for A-H1N1 (Swine Flu) with in 3 days survived. People who did not receive medical care until 7 days or more died. This has been the same results in the US. But 50 million Americans don’t even have any healthcare coverage. And at least 200 million of you with insurance could not get in to see your private insurance plans doctors in 2 or 3 days, even if your life depended on it. WHICH IT DOES!

If President Obama has to declare a NATIONAL STATE OF EMERGENCY to rescue the American people from our healthcare crisis, he will need all the sustained support you can give him. STICK WITH HIM! He’s doing a brilliant job.

THIS IS THE BIG

Comment on White House Open to Deal on Public Health Plan - WSJ.com

Dave — 2009-07-07T19:37:17Z

People can call progressive members to urge them to hold the line on the public option at firedoglake.

http://action.firedoglake.com/page/s/publicoption

http://campaignsilo.firedoglake.com/

40 progressives is enough to stop a bad bill.

Comment on Op-Ed Columnist - Health Care Showdown - NYTimes.com

jacksmith — 2009-06-23T03:45:36Z

AMERICA’S NATIONAL HEALTHCARE EMERGENCY!

It’s official. America and the World are now in a GLOBAL PANDEMIC. A World EPIDEMIC with potential catastrophic consequences for ALL of the American people. The first PANDEMIC in 41 years. And WE THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES will have to face this PANDEMIC with the 37th worst quality of healthcare in the developed World.

STAND READY AMERICA TO SEIZE CONTROL OF YOUR NATIONAL HEALTHCARE SYSTEM.

We spend over twice as much of our GDP on healthcare as any other country in the World. And Individual American spend about ten times as much out of pocket on healthcare as any other people in the World. All because of GREED! And the PRIVATE FOR PROFIT healthcare system in America.

And while all this is going on, some members of congress seem mostly concern about how to protect the corporate PROFITS! of our GREED DRIVEN, PRIVATE FOR PROFIT NATIONAL DISGRACE. A PRIVATE FOR PROFIT DISGRACE that is in fact, totally valueless to the public health. And a detriment to national security, public safety, and the public health.

Progressive democrats and others should stand firm in their demand for a robust public option for all Americans, with all of the minimum requirements progressive democrats demanded. If congress can not pass a robust public option with at least 51 votes and all robust minimum requirements, congress should immediately move to scrap healthcare reform and demand that President Obama declare a state of NATIONAL HEALTHCARE EMERGENCY! Seizing and replacing all PRIVATE FOR PROFIT health insurance plans with the immediate implementation of National Healthcare for all Americans under the provisions of HR676 (A Single-payer National Healthcare Plan For All).

Coverage can begin immediately through our current medicare system. With immediate expansion through recruitment of displaced workers from the canceled private sector insurance industry. Funding can also begin immediately by substitution of payroll deductions for private insurance plans with payroll deductions for the national healthcare plan. This is what the vast majority of the American people want. And this is what all objective experts unanimously agree would be the best, and most cost effective for the American people and our economy.

In Mexico on average people who received medical care for A-H1N1 (Swine Flu) with in 3 days survived. People who did not receive medical care until 7 days or more died. This has been the same results in the US. But 50 million Americans don’t even have any healthcare coverage. And at least 200 million of you with insurance could not get in to see your private insurance plans doctors in 2 or 3 days, even if your life depended on it. WHICH IT DOES!

Contact congress and your representatives NOW! AND SPREAD THE WORD!

God Bless You

Jacksmith – WORKING CLASS

Comment on Health insurers refuse to limit rescission of coverage - Los Angeles Times

Health for All — 2009-06-21T13:53:40Z

Here are some things you can do that will help:

1. Please sign Sen. Bernie Sanders' Petition to Congress supporting single-payer healthcare. http://sanders.senate.gov/petitions/index.cfm?uid=7fd59f2e-88e1-477a-8eaf-762a5b050809

2. Send an email to President Obama and ask him to support and work for Single-Payer Healthcare Reform:
http://healthreform.gov/communityreports/comments.html

3. Take more action for Single-Payer reform https://app.e2ma.net/app/view:CampaignPublic/id:28803.2122217397/rid:31dc2a66052589ee092f9d691388aee9

4. Thursday, June 25th---Rally for Healthcare Reform, Washington, DC
Join thousands in Washington that day to demand real health reform. Come
Great American Sickout. http://www.1payer.net/action-alerts/washington-rally.html If you can't be there, take some time to call your Senators and Representatives that day.

5. SAVE THE DATE: We are standing up for single-payer health care on July 30th! Join us in Washington, DC on July 30th for Medicare's 44th Birthday Rally and Lobby Day for Single-Payer Healthcare. http://www.healthcare-now.org/campaigns/single-payer-rally/

6. INSIST that HR 676 be sent to the Congressional Budget Office for Scoring: http://www.1payer.net/campaigns/efax-send-hr-676-to-cbo.html

Only a single-payer approach to healthcare reform will end the inhumanity of our failed healthcare insurance system, where profits are more important than patients’ health, and where people die because of it.

The outcome of this fight will affect Americans for years to come!

Comment on The Truth About Government Run Health Care

Michhael Cole — 2009-06-16T18:55:52Z

Wagner-Murray-Dingell Bill was a health care plan supposedly tied to social security and was first introduced in May 1945. It was defeated by none other than you-know-who - the same ones trying to kill this newer version of the same plan. What is startling is some of the same arguments described in this personal video were used used back then to defeat the bill. The best way to fight these scoundrels is to educate ourselves on what happened in the past and be prepared to fight tooth-and-nail by countering every objection with indisputable facts and pointing out their fallacies. But it's going to take the MSM to really drive the point home that the opposition is planting false fears in order to defeat the legislation. Just as they did so in the 40's.

Comment on Linda of Kingwood, TX (Denied insurance for pre-existing condition Lupus)

insurance license — 2009-06-15T13:09:21Z

My heart goes out to Linda for fighting against this inhumane system. I second the call for single-payer, national, not-for-profit health insurance for everyone who's paying taxes through their nose. It's time for change.