For those of you who reside in California's Congressional District 12, represented by Congresswoman Jackie Speier, it may interest you to know that she has a poll question on her home page asking about the importance of having a public option included in the healthcare package. http://speier.house.gov/?sectionid=58§iontree=56,58&formid=8
If you are a constituent, make sure she knows where you stand! But note that by completing the survey, you are signing up for her newsletter.
The Case For Single Payer,
Universal Health Care For The United States
Outline of Talk Given To The Association of State Green Parties,
Moodus, Connecticut on June 4, 1999By John R. Battista, M.D. and Justine McCabe, Ph.D.
Fact One: The United States ranks 23rd in infant mortality, down from 12th in 1960 and 21st in 1990Fact Two: The United States ranks 20th in life expectancy for women down from 1st in 1945 and 13th in 1960Fact Three: The United States ranks 21st in life expectancy for men down from 1st in 1945 and 17th in 1960.Fact Four: The United States ranks between 50th and 100th in immunizations depending on the immunization. Overall US is 67th, right behind BotswanaFact Five: Outcome studies on a variety of diseases, such as coronary artery disease, and renal failure show the United States to rank below Canada and a wide variety of industrialized nations.Conclusion: The United States ranks poorly relative to other industrialized nations in health care despite having the best trained health care providers and the best medical infrastructure of any industrialized nation
Fact One: The United States spends at least 40% more per capita on health care than any other industrialized country with universal health careFact Two: Federal studies by the Congressional Budget Office and the General Accounting office show that single payer universal health care would save 100 to 200 Billion dollars per year despite covering all the uninsured and increasing health care benefits.Fact Three: State studies by Massachusetts and Connecticut have shown that single payer universal health care would save 1 to 2 Billion dollars per year from the total medical expenses in those states despite covering all the uninsured and increasing health care benefitsFact Four: The costs of health care in Canada as a % of GNP, which were identical to the United States when Canada changed to a single payer, universal health care system in 1971, have increased at a rate much lower than the United States, despite the US economy being much stronger than Canada’s.Conclusion: Single payer universal health care costs would be lower than the current US system due to lower administrative costs. The United States spends 50 to 100% more on administration than single payer systems. By lowering these administrative costs the United States would have the ability to provide universal health care, without managed care, increase benefits and still save money
Fact One: Studies reveal that citizens in universal health care systems have more doctor visits and more hospital days than in the USFact Two: Around 30% of Americans have problem accessing health care due to payment problems or access to care, far more than any other industrialized country. About 17% of our population is without health insurance. About 75% of ill uninsured people have trouble accessing/paying for health care.Fact Three: Comparisons of Difficulties Accessing Care Are Shown To Be Greater In The US Than Canada (see graph)Fact Four: Access to health care is directly related to income and race in the United States. As a result the poor and minorities have poorer health than the wealthy and the whites.Fact Five: There would be no lines under a universal health care system in the United States because we have about a 30% oversupply of medical equipment and surgeons, whereas demand would increase about 15%Conclusion: The US denies access to health care based on the ability to pay. Under a universal health care system all would access care. There would be no lines as in other industrialized countries due to the oversupply in our providers and infrastructure, and the willingness/ability of the United States to spend more on health care than other industrialized nations.
Fact One: There would be free choice of health care providers under a single payer universal health care system, unlike our current managed care system in which people are forced to see providers on the insurer’s panel to obtain medical benefitsFact Two: There would be no management of care under a single payer, universal health care system unlike the current managed care system which mandates insurer preapproval for services thus undercutting patient confidentiality and taking health care decisions away from the health care provider and consumerFact Three: Although health care providers fees would be set as they are currently in 90% of cases, providers would have a means of negotiating fees unlike the current managed care system in which they are set in corporate board rooms with profits, not patient care, in mindFact Four: Taxes, fees and benefits would be decided by the insurer which would be under the control of a diverse board representing consumers, providers, business and government. It would not be a government controlled system, although the government would have to approve the taxes. The system would be run by a public trust, not the government.Conclusion: Single payer, universal health care administered by a state public health system would be much more democratic and much less intrusive than our current system. Consumers and providers would have a voice in determining benefits, rates and taxes. Problems with free choice, confidentiality and medical decision making would be resolved
Fact One: Single payer universal health care is not socialized medicine. It is health care payment system, not a health care delivery system. Health care providers would be in fee for service practice, and would not be employees of the government, which would be socialized medicine. Single payer health care is not socialized medicine, any more than the public funding of education is socialized education, or the public funding of the defense industry is socialized defense.Fact Two: Repeated national and state polls have shown that between 60 and 75% of Americans would like a universal health care system (see The Harris Poll #78, October 20, 2005)Conclusion: Single payer, universal health care is not socialized medicine and would be preferred by the majority of the citizens of this country
Fact One: Private for profit corporation are the lease efficient deliverer of health care. They spend between 20 and 30% of premiums on administration and profits. The public sector is the most efficient. Medicare spends 3% on administration.Fact Two: The same procedure in the same hospital the year after conversion from not-for profit to for-profit costs in between 20 to 35% moreFact Three: Health care costs in the United States grew more in the United States under managed care in 1990 to 1996 than any other industrialized nation with single payer universal health careFact Four: The quality of health care in the US has deteriorated under managed care. Access problems have increased. The number of uninsured has dramatically increased (increase of 10 million to 43.4 million from 1989 to 1996, increase of 2.4% from 1989 to 1996- 16% in 1996 and increasing each year).Fact Five: The level of satisfaction with the US health care system is the lowest of any industrialized nation.Fact Six: 80% of citizens and 71% of doctors believe that managed care has caused quality of care to be compromisedConclusion: For profit, managed care can not solve the US health care problems because health care is not a commodity that people shop for, and quality of care must always be compromised when the motivating factor for corporations is to save money through denial of care and decreasing provider costs. In addition managed care has introduced problems of patient confidentiality and disrupted the continuity of care through having limited provider networks.
Physicians for a National Health Program has written an open letter to Obama that they are asking people to join them in signing. While they are especially eager to collect physician signatures, everyone is welcome and encouraged to sign:
http://www.pnhp.org/obama/letter.php#form
Under a single payer system:
Q: What happens to private insurance companies?
A: They won't exist except to cover any benefits not covered under USNHC, such as cosmetic surgery or other services that are not medically necessary.
Q: What does this mean for the employer-sponsored private health insurance model?
A: It will cease to exist.
Q: Does this mean that employers will no longer pay premiums to private insurance companies to cover their employees' health care costs?
A: Yes. The money previously used for premiums can then be used for other purposes by employers, but the intention is to keep the funds in the healthcare system in one form or another.
Q: Where will the funds for a single-payer system come from?
A: Much of the funding for spending for healthcare under single-payer is already in place. These sources are: (1) Federal spending - e.g., Medicare, Medicaid, DSH; (2) State and local spending; (3) Other spending under the current health care system that would be freed up -- e.g., private Insurance premiums, out of pocket co-pays, deductibles, over the counter drug purchases; (4) Other private funds spending -- e.g., foundations.
Q: What will fill the gap in revenue caused by the loss of private insurance premiums?
A: The simple answer is another payroll tax not unlike Social Security. At the present time, estimates vary but it should be in the range of 4%. Other proposals for additional revenue include: (1) Stock transfer tax; (2) Corporate welfare reduction either through reforming the tax code or the elimination and reduction of subsidies; (3) Reversal of 2001 and 2002 tax cuts; (4) Tax surcharge -- i.e., 5% on highest top 5% earners and 10% on top 1% of earners, per HR 676.
Q: What happens to the tax free treatment of employer provided private health insurance?
A: With no private health care insurance, there will be no tax deductions or tax advantages to either employer or employee.
Q: Will the employer be relieved of the responsibility of providing health insurance to employees?
A: The employer will not only be relieved but also mandated not to provide private health insurance. However, the employer will be required to do some form of matching of the employees healthcare related payroll tax (perhaps an equal match of the employee).
Q: Do you think this simplifies healthcare reform?
A: Single payer streamlines the financing of healthcare reform by simplifying the way funds are collected and paid out to health care providers. Excessive administrative costs of private health insurers are eliminated (estimated at 20 to 30%). With everyone in a single risk pool, bargaining power efficiencies can be achieved with pharmaceuticals, equipment manufacturers, etc.
Q: But what about some of the other issues that are still "on the table"?
A: Everyone is covered and everyone contributes through a payroll tax. No one would be excluded for pre-existing conditions. Healthcare would not be dependent on employment (i.e., loss of job, changing a job or unemployment would not be a factor). There would be no bankruptcies caused by health care financial hardship.
Americans overwhelmingly support substantial changes to the health care system and are strongly behind one of the most contentious proposals Congress is considering, a government-run insurance plan to compete with private insurers, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/21/health/policy/21poll.html?_r=1&emc=eta1
Diane Sawyer and Charles Gibson will be moderating a conversation with President Obama next Wednesday evening about health care reform. ABC News says their goal is to include divergent viewpoints from audience members and experts alike, challenging the president to answer questions from various stakeholders who agree and disagree with his proposals.
To submit a question, click HERE. Leave your questions in the "comments" field. Digg up the questions you like and bury the ones that just don't cut it. Charlie and Diane will ask the president at least one of these submitted questions.
Tune in to ABC for “Questions for the President: Prescription for America” on Wednesday, June 24th at 10 pm ET, and “Nightline” at 11:30 pm ET.
Healthcare for America Now is offering healthcare reform t-shirts:
http://healthcareforamericanow.org/page/contribute/april
Here is a great resource for keeping up to date on where your legislators stand on the healthcare debate raging in Washington. Keep a vigilant eye, and keep in touch with them to let them know you support real and immediate reform of our healthcare system!
http://standwithdrdean.com/where_congress_stands
