Single-Payer, the "Government Option" and the Status Quo

This is a summary of my Blog Entry.

You can comment to the Senate Committee responsible for Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) has the following addresses:

Web Site: www.help.senate.gov

Email: HealthComments_HELP@help.senate.gov

Briefly, no one except Senator Bernie Sanders is mentioning single payer by name.

Announcement for Senator Kennedy's proposed bill, the “Affordable Health Choices Act”

http://help.senate.gov/Maj_press/2009_06_09.pdf

Senator Max Baucus is the third highest recipient of health care industry money. It's said that many newer Senators apply to get on the Finance Committee so they can take advantage of the industry money.

http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/patients/articles/?storyId=27689

The current system of delivering "for profit" health care gives the United States significantly less care, as defined in outcomes, than any of the other major countries that have a "single-payer" health plan and we are paying up to twice as much as a percentage of GNP as other countries.

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) numbers are in the "Percentage of GDP" and the "Quality of Life" columns. Japan spends 8% of its GDP on health care, Switzerland spends 11% and the U.S. spends 15% (roughly).

http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/46/2/38980580.pdf
http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/cea/TheEconomicCaseforHealt...

The health care insurance companies and the pharmaceutical companies already are spending more in lobbying against single-payer than in 2008. Some are increasing their lobby funding by more than 100%. (The top four average roughly a 100% increase.)

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/health/2009-06-11-lobby_N.htm

The "government option" is a benefit, yes, but federal employees still must sign up with a for-profit insurance provider by state. There are multiple plans per state and the rates appear to be comparable to what businesses offer their employees.

http://www.opm.gov/insure/health/medicare/medicare01.asp

There are only two very big challenges:

(1) Industry lobby money against single-payer going directly into the pockets of our elected politicians, and

(2) All the insurance company employees who would lose their jobs.

(3) I submit that the AMA can be persuaded to accept single-payer, so this is not one of the issues. See below.

Please see the blog entry for discussion of these points.

Postscript: Even Olympia Snowe has succumbed to lobby money ($1 million) with her "Trigger" proposal, which does nothing to help now.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/10/snowes-ties-to-health-car_n_213...