Petition to expand Medicare to be the Single Payer Healthcare System for the USA

[jclay]

I don't know what you mean about "actually" working on "real" politics. Dem leaders aren't going to do shit of their own volition. Pelosi and Schumer bend over backward to block movement toward single-payer, and their donors (millions each from the insurance and pharma lobbies) reward them. There is nothing Bernie can trade to get support from them -- Jesus, JFK and FDR rolled into one couldn't get them to budge. They like things exactly the way they are, even as a loser party, because they have the first class seats -- never mind the seats are on the Titanic. The only way we'll get single-payer is with millions of people threatening their representatives with being primaried, flooding the phone lines and making their lives living hell until we get it.

^^ Gets it.

In other news: Why Trump should embrace single-payer health care | New York Post

That single payer is being discussed outside of a microscopic arena is totally down to Bernie. It's pretty amazing.

[jclay]

From the Annals of Internal Medicine. Worth your time and consideration.

Single-Payer Reform | Annals of Internal Medicine | American College of Physicians

[jclay]

Sorry, Republicans, but most people support single-payer health care.
By: Catherine Rampell, WaPo, Opinion writer April 17 at 7:31 PM

Sorry, Republicans, but most people support single-payer health care - The Washington Post

[Corso]

Sorry, Republicans, but most people support single-payer health care.
By: Catherine Rampell, WaPo, Opinion writer April 17 at 7:31 PM

"But it’s probably not fair to paint Republicans as the only roadblock here. Even Democrats don’t have the stomach for the battle required to replace our jury-rigged, mostly employer-sponsored insurance system with single payer.”

…but I’m going to give it the “Sorry Republicans” headline anyway. Way to go Catherine!

She’s an “opinion columnist”, so here’s mine-in relation to her article: The people who participated in the polls quoted may not have known details about single payer, only that “gov” healthcare might be “free”…

I’m not against a single payer system, just this left bias crap that paints the right as the bad guys.

[GrantM]

…but I’m going to give it the “Sorry Republicans” headline anyway. Way to go Catherine!

People self-identify as a Republican these days?
All my conservative friends say they're an "independent". :)

-g

[jclay]

From Healthcare-Now! https://www.healthcare-now.org/

A majority of House Democrats have now cosponsored H.R. 676, the bill that would establish a national single payer system in the U.S.!

In another record-breaking week for single payer, more Representatives from all over the country have jumped on the bill - bringing the total number of cosponsors to 98. Recent signers include:

Debbie Dingell of Michigan, the wife of former Rep. John Dingell, who introduced one of the earliest single payer bills
Gregorio Sablan of the Mariana Islands - like most U.S. territories, Medicaid isn't fully reimbursed which leads to serious strain on their budget
Vincente Gonzalez, Texas, a first-time cosponsor
Ed Perlmutter, Colorado, a first-time cosponsor
Adam Smith, Washington, a first-time cosponsor

Find out if your representative is a cosponsor!

HOW TO TAKE ACTION

If your Rep has NOT signed on:

This week is the last of the April recess - find a townhall and get them on!
No townhall scheduled, or you can't make it? Organize a delegation visit to your Rep for the coming recesses in May, July, or August. Let us know if you need help!

If your Rep HAS signed on:

Thank your rep by phone or email for signing on!
Ask your Rep to take the next step - for example, you might ask them to speak at a single payer event you've organized for the coming recesses in May, July, or August, to write an Op-Ed, and/or to include a section on their website about single payer (HCN can help with this!)
Invite your rep's aides to a single payer policy training.

Now that we have a majority of House Democrats on board, momentum will help us scoop up the remaining holdouts and also pave the way for our first Republican cosponsor. Let's get ALL of our legislators on board!

[spopepro]

John, with all the respect, this is going nowhere. It has as much meaning as the 60 or so times the republican led house voted to repeal or amend the affordable care act. If you know It doesn't have the votes to become law, it's easy to make a meaningless statement.

It wasn't good when the "R"s did it and it's not good when "D"s do the same, even if I personally believe that things need to move in this direction.

[jclay]

George Will predicts single payer system.

George Will predicts Obamacare to become single-payer because of this inconvenient fact

[Dallas Tex]

George Will predicts single payer system.

George Will predicts Obamacare to become single-payer because of this inconvenient fact

And how could anyone not trust an 'article' when the first sentence of the article is: "President Trump continues to lie to the American people.....".

Keep on flogging the horse that is this thread.

[Matthew Strongin]

And how could anyone not trust an 'article' when the first sentence of the article is: "President Trump continues to lie to the American people.....".

Keep on flogging the horse that is this thread.

I'm definitely more aligned to the left on most of these issues, but I don't feel that sites like the Daily Kos do much to lend credibility to the platforms I support. Shit, even I cringe at half the "articles" on that site.

[ericpmoss]

Well then ignore the text and watch the interview with George Will. He sure doesn't want single-payer, but he does think we are headed that way.

[Matthew Strongin]

Well then ignore the text and watch the interview with George Will. He sure doesn't want single-payer, but he does think we are headed that way.

I don't disagree. And I think his point that the people who most benefit from Obamacare are Trump voters aligns with many other policy discussions such as Trump's proposed budget plan that would slash benefits for the people he campaigned on helping. My point is just that there are sites that share news and there are sites that are so dripping in rhetoric that the people who would likely benefit most from the message will dismiss everything they say. That goes for both sides...IMO.

[jclay]

Our Costly Addiction to Health Care Jobs, NYT, April 22, 2017

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/22/o...?emc=eta1&_r=0

[vertical_doug]

John Arnold tweeted this article out from his foundation. I have no idea if the story is true, but it is an interesting read.

Catching the falling knife in Iowa – Balloon Juice

[jclay]

Business Leaders, Physicians And Health Advocates Open Letter To President Trump:

Business Leaders, Physicians And Health Advocates’ Open Letter To President Trump | PopularResistance.Org

[GrantM]

John Arnold tweeted this article out from his foundation. I have no idea if the story is true, but it is an interesting read.

Catching the falling knife in Iowa – Balloon Juice

isn't this a typo?

"Iowa has an individual who buys an on-Exchange policy who easily runs up a $1,000,0000 a month in claims and does so every month"

there aren't 4 zeros after a comma, or did they really mean $10 mil a month?

-g

[vertical_doug]

isn't this a typo?

"Iowa has an individual who buys an on-Exchange policy who easily runs up a $1,000,0000 a month in claims and does so every month"

there aren't 4 zeros after a comma, or did they really mean $10 mil a month?

-g

1,000,000 a month, 12,000,000 per year. I just became lost typing all the zeros.

The Des Moines Register had an article on this last year when the insurers were discussing rate increase.
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/sto...mers/84277758/

If your pool is only 30,000 people, this equates to a 400/person to recoup the costs.

There is another article in the LATimes in the opinion section on this from yesterday.

I wonder what the person did before ACA since many insurers have a lifetime spending cap of $5,000,000 or less.

[jclay]

The conservative case for single payer. It's worth reading.

A conservative case for single-payer health care

[EricKeller]

I wonder what the person did before ACA since many insurers have a lifetime spending cap of $5,000,000 or less.

Maybe a child? Looks like this person may have single-handedly killed the exchanges in Iowa

[Saab2000]

Maybe a child? Looks like this person may have single-handedly killed the exchanges in Iowa

No disrespect to the person in need of these health services, but I'm wondering what condition could incur bills of a million per month? I knew someone whose wife underwent some enormous procedures, resulting in essentially non-stop hospitalization over the course of a year or more. Sadly, she didn't survive. He told me that her care and the procedures exceeded a million dollars. But $12,000,000 per year? Something doesn't add up.