Gov. Dean: 'Why Would You Put A Trillion Dollars Into Something That Hasn't Worked?'
By Susie Madrak Saturday Jun 20, 2009 2:00pmInstead of empty promises where politicians tell us we'll have the same health coverage they have, I think it would be an even better idea to require that members of Congress buy the same coverage they want us to use via this "reform":
WASHINGTON - Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean says there can be no meaningful health care overhaul in America without a public option for individuals not now covered.
Dean, a medical doctor and former chairman of the Democratic Party, said in a nationally broadcast interview that the strong Republican opposition to the plan that President Barack Obama is pushing doesn't surprise him. Dean said, "We've had a government system for 50 years. The Republicans didn't like it then. It's called Medicare."
He also said in an interview on NBC's "Today" show that he can't imagine any health care overhaul without a government-funded option, asking "why would you put a trillion dollars into something that hasn't worked."
Dean maintained that "the only way you could really reform the health system and bring down the costs ... is give Americans a choice between a public and private system.
Login or Register to post comments.
Very nice recitation of reputhug/corporate talking points.
Last night, on Bill Maher's show, Katty Kay, who is from England, said that she did not understand the talking points coming from the Republicans about health care reform. She mentioned several European countries and said how great their system was; she also mentioned that Britain's health care is the pride of the country, it is so good.
What really gets me is the continued repug talking point about how government is going to have to "approve" the treatment you get. But that's exactly what the insurance companies are doing, now, and they are denying people treatments; they are actually cancelling coverage if you're "too sick."
These repugs really infuriate me with their objections to a public plan. They only want good coverage for the wealthy, and it makes me sick.
Another issue that the reichwing and "health don't care" corporations don't connect to the problem (in their disconnect from reality) is the shortage of general practitioners. Teaching hospitals in the US encourage doctors to specialize, not "waste their career" on being a GP.
Just as GPs treat problems by prevention yet most US doctors are specialists, the US "medical care" system is predicated on treating (or not treating) serious problems, rather than inexpensive prevention.
Prevention is cheaper than cure, yet corporations and careerists have decided to "cut costs" on prevention. It's almost as if they want treatable problems to get worse so they can charge and make more money. But who is going to pay for that "care"? Not the corporations, they've shifted the cost to individuals, and most can't pay for it, so they die from treatable conditions.
US hospitals have been raiding other countries for years (including even countries like India) to bring in GPs and nurses, often to the detriment of other nations. Too bad common sense doesn't apply and the US brings in a foreign medical care system instead, along with a return to preventative medicine.
http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?r...
http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/313/7064/...
Here's a British solution to the problem, an "associate degree" for medicine:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/145315...
Above all, read this item, which draws a direct line between the number of GPs and both the quality and cost of care:
http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/archives/pri...
Do a quick search on the phrase, "shortage of general practitioners", and you'll find the problem is worldwide.
... and all on the part of that corporate, Republican, pro business, pro Crony Capitalist fundamentalist tool David Gregory. I always wonder why in the hell does that worthless, gormless, pack-journalist hack still enjoy gainful employment until I remember NBC stands for "National Beobachter Corporation" ...
Good grief, if he wants to keep preaching his false Gospel of "American Way Of Life" Crony/Religious Capitalism Uber Alles, FIRE HIS SORRY HIDE ALREADY and let the dumb bastard compete with the all professors at Harvard Bidness School or the pill poppin' pundits, Tali-Born Again preachers, and pretend patriot parrots over there on Rupert Murdoch's plantation. They both love watching FOX NEWS (i.e. "The Redneck Al-Jazeera", clapping their fins together going "Orp! Orp! Orp!" like the rest of the Schaivo-tastic seals and parakeets, and remaining on the plantation, so it'll be a natural form of employment for him.
SDI?
I'm happy Obama is in office. I think he's doing the best he can; generally, my complaints are minimal. But ever since the 04 elections, I am and always will be, a Howard Dean Democrat! (We would be in a far better place if he woulda won the primary and the general)
Well said Mr. Dean. The more he's out there, the more he's able to undercut any absurd message put out by the Republicans.
Mmmf...mmmf...mmmf...meep...
That's the option I want. How about y'all?
single-payer!
Single payer or they've got nothing worth having since it'll just re-enforce the rich elites entitlement to tax cuts, windfall profits, McMansions, etc. In fact, that's the only reason they arbitrarily took single payer off the table: they're scared witless of all the great unwashed jobless and foreclosed that's gonna beat the street with their angry feet in a few years, and they're too stupid to realize that by paradoxically trying to avoid it, they will fulfill it.
Dick Cheney had 3 heart bypass operations at tax payer expense.
I want a socialized medical plan like Dick Cheney's.
"Governor Dean, Chicken Little says the sky is going to fall. Do you agree?"
"I'm going to go into the private sector, make a living making speeches, and do a lot of stuff on health care policy."
... fighting for us in the frontline... with them keyboards. yay!
.
'Why Would You Put A Trillion Dollars Into Something That Hasn't Worked?'
Because that trillion dollars will result in even larger profits for the very insurance companies that are bankrupting our citizens and in sweet kickbacks and campaign contributions to politicians. This is known as a win-win.
The loser is (as usual) the poor taxpayer who is continually defrauded by corporate government and who will soon be mandated to buy private for-profit insurance.
Tim Russert was no prize but where did they find this guy?
Pundits R We Uns?
Because it's the American way and the reason the house of cards collapsed.
Follow the top 1%.
we have.
It is very simple. The GOP is lying to you about health care. Other countries can do Universal coverage or single payer why not the US. The GOP is lying! Liars, Liars, Liars!
Glad I don't live there.
I say get these lawmakers to drop their "socialized" health care and see if they can get their own health care.
passed away while I was still a child, and I am still evidently due many benefits off of his Social Security. I'm quite sure I will still be on Medicaid too, and I can't begin to tell you how much of a relief it is. I have been disabled since well before the age of 21, and I am going to require expensive medications to function for the rest of my life.
I dearly want to see all my fellow Americans have at least have something like Medicare/Medicaid as an option because y'all deserve better!
in my opinion the financial elite don't want us to have single payer healthCare. i really believe they don't want us to be competitive with the foreign markets they have developed. CHINA is implementing universal healthCare. how are we going to compete with CHINA. they have little regulation,unlimited human resources"cheap labor,infrastructure and NOW universal healthCare. this is NOT brought up in the media much. the economy is more global than it ever has been. we need to level the playing field. i watched a video piece about this topic on cNBC. the cNBC host ignored the global competitiveness debate for needing healthCare reform. they don't want us to have it.
they are thinking in the long term. When we are reduced to a 3rd world economy they will have a new market in China with over a billion new consumers to supply with electronic throwaway toys, cars and our food supplies. But to reach their goals and keep profits up, they have to tear down our standard of living.
Terminate Congressional Health care -- NOW.
*
Let's see how much they enjoy it!
at first i thought this probably wouldn't/couldn't change anything. but you know what your on to something because of the implied hypocrisy. i remember when mccain was asked about being provided government medical his entire life. he felt challenged. he thought it was dirty pool. the candidates spoke about opening the congressional plan. if they won't let's shut it down. just like in the private industry
where people are losing their benefits. i'm serious. it's a good idea.
The pharmaceutical industry agreed Saturday to spend $80 billion over the next decade improving drug benefits for seniors on Medicare and defraying the cost of President Barack Obama's health care legislation, capping secretive negotiations involving key lawmakers and the White House.
"secretive negotiations" how do we screw people out of their money.
you don't hear this angle much at all. healthCare reform will resurrect small,medium and large businesses.wow i don't think the large box stores would appreciate that. there's a pent up demand to bring back community and the smaller business model and they know it. i believe that the corporate/financial elites like the big box model where they control/manipulate inventory. the price fixing they're able to do puts small and medium businesses out of business. this model of the big box store is also part of the sprawl problem. i think we could see a change with consumers soon. the change i hope, is buying less shxt to stack up in their garage. CHINA supplies the big box model. what i'm saying is what's it going to COST us if we don't do something(single pay)?
How about this angle--"Limiting your purchases whenever possible to independently owned and local retailers, farmers and tradespeople is PATRIOTIC because it protects American families and provides cash flow into the local job base.
"Tell China and fat-cat CEOs who offshore American jobs they are lining their nests on the backs of the American worker. Tell Congress you're on the side of Main Street. Say no to big box stores. Pay the extra 30 cents to help your neighbor and his/her family hang onto their jobs and keep a roof over their heads. A strong America is one where Americans look out for one another and won't be torn apart by foreign slave labor.
"While you're at it, call your Congressperson and ask him/her if they will support you by resolving to buy local for a month. Ask them, 'Whose side are you on--your community's or a bailout-taking CEO's in another state?'"
How's that for a marketing sentiment?
I'm not very technologically savvy, but I wonder if we--those of us who read C&L--could start at "Buying Local Is Patriotic" fan group on Facebook.
My guess is that it would go viral.
I also know many Republicans (and conservative Independents) who would join it--their jobs are just as at-risk as everyone else's.
Anybody got the know-how to do this?
Try this one is the local Chamber of Commerce, ask for a list of the local businesses in the area next step check in at the larger Flea markets in your area and make your proposal to them (a lot of the larger participants in a flea market are local businesses that aren't Chamber members. This will be a slow arduous task but with sometime and patients it can be done. One other source is your local Realtors association they have a large area and if you ask they may allow you to drop off some fliers. Be on the look out that is going to stab you in the back with his/her your destroying the economy spiele. Good luck
to call my dear congresswoman, Jean Schmidt. I think I'll call her Monday and offer to switch insurance plans for 30 days. Then we can make an informed decision as to which is better.
Support the Million Can March
That's why the Obama administration doesn't want him anywhere near their version of health care "reform."
People were mentioning Nader on C & L a lot yesterday. Rather than Nader, might I suggest that the person Progressives should be taking their cues from on the issue of health care is Howard Dean? No offense to Ralph, but Dean knows what he's talking about, and he's not afraid to say so. He's the only Progressive right now that seems to have a foothold in the media (maybe because they're gearing up to tear him down again, but I don't think he gives a rat's ass).
Listening to all the hype from the Brain dead right and the Social Capitalist (these are the Idiots that Privatized the Profits and Socialized the losses)anything that is proposed that they DO NOT have direct access to and can control the scamming to their advantage is dead in the water. This is about CONTROL people not one PAYER Insurance and as long as the Trash and SCUM in the Insurance Industry can keep you diverted from the real issue the better for them. This is about the MONEY and ONLY the MONEY. Any loss of control is Profit loss to them.
Login or Register to post comments.