Let her make a universal, single-payer system in America a reality, one small step in helping America catch up with the rest of the developed world.

Hillary’s plan doesn’t entail a “single payer” system. She tried that, once. The HMO’s, Insurance Industry and Republicans called her a “socialist” (and accused her of cutting out their advice in secret cabals) and she went down in flames. That was in 1992-3 and she never went near the issue again.

I thought that Obama attacked HRC for her mandates and penalties for those that did not take out ins.. I forsee a compromise where medicare is expanded and people could opt out and get private ins. to placate the ins. industry.

I remember this. And it points out just how much people can hear without listening.

This is where Hillary attacked Obama for pointing out that his more limited “first step” program involved “penalties” for those that opted out. Indeed Obama had specified this in his plan, Hillary didn’t.

Obama said that her program, if it was truly “mandated” must also involve penalties, that they were necessary for ANY “mandated” program to work. Hillary claimed it wasn’t. She basically talked about this for about 15 minutes in one debate…but never specified how her plan would work without penalizing those that opted out. And unless one has a single-payer system there will be opportunities to evade obtaining insurance…and throw the burden back on the public health system. Short of telling the evaders who can’t pay the huge “private” costs that they will have to forego treatment there is no other option.

This is indeed the problem with both their plans. One must have a system of punishment unless it is single payer. Obama’s plan seems to be expanding the coverage of those most vulnerable to deficiencies in coverage…increasing SCHIP to all dependant children, prenatal and post-natal coverage, reducing the age for Medicare. Payment would come from the government. The source of payment would be the Federal budget.

Hillary’s plan expands “mandated” private insurance…small (even family run) businesses and private individuals would be required to obtain coverage for employees and their families that met specific basic criteria. This would be supported by Federal tax credits.

Just to throw in a third plan…McCain’s. He suggests giving every one a $3000 tax credit for health care…to be used in any gol’ dern way one wishes. The wealthy, who already have great coverage, could use this for their yachts…reducing the stress that they have worrying about the hoi-polloi.

Solution? Establish a new cabinet post with responsibility to make it happen. Give it to Hillary. Let her make a universal, single-payer system in America a reality, one small step in helping America catch up with the rest of the developed world. Make it her pot at the end of the rainbow and the welcome price for her permanent seat on the Supreme Court.

If she fails because of Gooper opposition, Obama and the legion of “Democratic” consultants can blame her; when she succeeds, they can take the credit, but we’ll know who really did it. We’ll all be better off. And insurance companies can go back to bookmaking or selling insurance, and stop practicing medicine.

Deepest apologies to many of the fine FDL physicians, I am intending no disrespect in these comments.

IMHO, advocates of universal health care need to continue on the macro levels, but also need to start advocating in terms of specialties. What will universal health care mean for surgical patients and those physicians, hospitals and technologies who service that sector? Surgery is such a huge area, it will definitely have to be broken down even further. I think a similar approach has to be applied to all other specialties.

OT, I think plastic surgeons and dermatologists are a good place to start, because so much of their revenue can (it doesn’t always) comes from meeting cosmetic needs. AFAIK, medical school tuition is subsidized by the taxpayers. For that portion of their income that is not contributing to public health (but solely to cosmetic needs), maybe they should pay back something more of their medical school tuition beyond what other physicians do?

Even Canada’s single-payer system of universal health care doesn’t do that.