Snuff Politics: Democrats Escalate Attack on Single Payer
By CORPORATE CRIME REPORTER
The Corporate Democratic Party is into snuff politics.
The target this month–single payer, Medicare for all.
The motive–protect the corporate health insurance industry.
Democratic snuff politics was on display yesterday on Capitol Hill.
Senator Ron Wyden was on the Hill surrounded by his corporate supporters–Steve Burd, CEO, Safeway Inc., Art Collins, CEO of Medtronic, Inc, H. Edward Hanaway, CEO, CIGNA, Steve Sanger, CEO, General Mills, and Ronald Williams, CEO, Aetna, Inc.
Wyden has introduced legislation that is similar to that introduced by Republican Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and Republican California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
All claim to create universal health care.
None can, do or will.
What’s the common denominator between Wyden-care, and Romney-care and Schwarzenegger-care?
Individual mandates.
The individual must get insured or the individual is violating the law.
As opposed to single payer.
Which says to the health insurance companies–get out.
We will take care of our people.
If you sell basic health insurance, you are violating the law.
Everyone is in one insurance pool.
Nobody is out.
All are covered.
No bills, no co-pays, no deductibles.
No losing your health insurance when you change jobs.
No escalating premiums when you get sick.
Cheaper than the current system.
With better outcomes.
One approach sets up a system that outlaws individual wrongdoing.
The other sets up a system that outlaws corporate wrongdoing.
The corporate executives were at the press conference to support Wyden’s plan and to push their own newly created Coalition to Advance Healthcare Reform.
The key element focused on by the CEOs–market-based healthcare system.
The goal–derail publically funded single payer legislation that will cut administrative waste.
The single payer bill has 70 sponsors in the House of Representatives and is supported by 52 percent of the American people.
When asked why he doesn’t support single payer when 52 percent of the American people do, Wyden didn’t blush.
“The people of my state, not a poll, but at the ballot box in 2002, they voted by about 3-1 against a single payer proposal,” Wyden said.
Well yeah, after the insurance industry dumped millions to scare people into believing the government was going to take over their lives.
“If you go to a community meeting and take a poll in my state, what people want is coverage like their member of Congress gets,” Wyden said. “They want benefits like their members of Congress. They want the quality of care that their members of Congress get.”
But can’t single payer deliver exactly that?
Mildly irritated by this question, Wyden reminds reporters in the room that single payer is not the topic of this press conference.
Read it here.
