Why We Need Single-Payer Health Care Now!

[irishbobcat]

Why We Need Single-Payer Health Care Now!

All health care reform meetings, hearings, and panel discussions in the White House and Congress must include Single-Payer advocates. Americans have a right to compare health care plans and to have their opinions represented.

• Single-Payer will cover every American regardless of employment, income, ability to pay, age, and prior medical condition. Right now, about 48 million Americans have no health coverage at all and millions more have inadequate coverage. Under Single-Payer, everyone will enjoy guaranteed quality health care, including prescriptions, and no American will face financial ruin because of illness or injury.

• Private HMOs and health insurance companies increase their profits by denying treatment to people with medical emergencies and by denying coverage to those they consider 'high-risk' because of existing health problems, age, low income, etc. In other words, private health insurance is designed to fail people who need health care the most. That's why we need Single-Payer.

• Single-Payer will allow Americans to choose their physician, health care provider, and health care facility.

• Single-Payer will cut national health care costs by as much as a third and reduce what working Americans pay for health coverage, because it eliminates the profit-making insurance and HMO 'middle-men.' At 3% administrative cost, Medicare (which would be made universal under Single-Payer) is highly efficient compared to the 15-30% administrative costs (profits, paperwork, CEO salaries, etc.) of for-profit insurance.

• Single-Payer reduces paperwork for physicians and other health professionals, one reason why thousands of MDs, other people working in the health care industry, and medical students have endorsed it.

• Under Single-Payer, physicians, hospitals, and other health care providers would compete to serve the public, raising the quality of health care.

• Single-Payer will boost the ailing US economy and provide relief for businesses, since it will cancel the high expense and burden of employer-based health care benefits.

• Polls show popular support for a national health care program that guarantees universal coverage (http://www.wpasinglepayer.org/PollResults.html).

• America has the best medical technology but poor access to medical treatment. Single-Payer will correct this scandal.

• The Center for Responsive Politics has documented the millions in campaign money that the insurance industry has given to Democrats and Republicans to maintain their control over health care (http://www.opensecrets.org/industries/indus.php?ind=F09), with over $46 million in contributions in 2008. Barack Obama, before he launched his bid for president, supported Single-Payer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpAyan1fXCE&feature=player_embedded).

• Some politicians favor an 'options' plan that would offer a public health care plan as an alternative to private coverage. They would create a multi-tier system in which those on the public plan get inferior coverage and treatment. Some of these plans also promise insurance firms and HMOs taxpayer-funded subsidies to ensure profits, or impose health coverage 'mandates.' These plans are not universal and not acceptable. Single-Payer guarantees all Americans quality care: 'Everybody in, nobody out!"

• Many voters are taking the Single-Payer Pledge: "I will only vote for candidates who support Single-Payer!"

Dennis Spisak
Mahoning Valley Green Party
Ohio Green Party

www.ohiogreens.org
www.votespisak.org/thinkgreen/