Ohio Green Party: Prosperity America's take on healthcare in America

[irishbobcat]

A single payer system would remove the private insurance industry which puts profits before the needs of patients. This would accomplish a number of objectives. First, such a system would give people the greatest security and control over their lives. People would have greater security because health care would no longer be tied to employment. People would have access to health care as a birthright. People would have more control over their lives because they would no longer be limited to the approved insurance list of doctors, health providers, hospitals, and treatments but could choose whomever they preferred. The real death panels, insurance industry reviewers who deny health care recommended by doctors, would be put out of business.

Second, an improved single payer system would be good for the American economy. Unlike the bills being considered in Congress, such a system would control costs, allow group negotiation of prices, and provide more predictable health care expenses for consumers, business, and government. A single-payer national health care plan would be a job creator rather than a drag on the economy. A study published this year found that such a system would create 2.8 million jobs, netting 2.2 million new jobs when insurance industry job losses were subtracted. This means hundreds of billions in new economic activity and tax revenues. And, a unified single-payer system would allow for the opportunity to capture hundreds of billions of dollars formerly lost to waste, fraud, and abuse.

When we looked at what Congress and the White House were doing we saw single-payer, the most cost-effective and popular reform among American voters, off the table and not being considered. When President Obama held a White House summit on health care he did not invite any single-payer advocates to attend. After emails, phone calls and faxes the Obama administration invited one single-payer advocate, Dr. Oliver Fein, along with Rep. John Conyers to attend. Neither was allowed to talk at the event, but the insurance industry was the first and last speaker at the summit. From the White House summit the writing was on the wall - this "reform" was going to protect the profits of the private insurance industry.