Obama calls for universal health care within six years

[DeepModem Mom]

CNN/AP: Thursday, January 25, 2007
Obama calls for universal health care within six years

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Every American should have health care coverage within six years, Democratic Sen. Barack Obama said Thursday as he set an ambitious goal soon after jumping into the 2008 presidential race.

"The time has come for universal health care in America," Obama said at a conference of Families USA, a health care advocacy group.

"I am absolutely determined that by the end of the first term of the next president, we should have universal health care in this country," the Illinois senator said.

Obama was previewing what is shaping up to be a theme of the 2008 Democratic primary. One of his rivals, 2004 vice presidential nominee John Edwards, also said as he announced his candidacy last month that he will offer a proposal for universal health care.

Obama said while plans are offered in every campaign season with "much fanfare and promise," they collapse under the weight of Washington politics, leaving citizens to struggle with the skyrocketing costs.

He said it's wrong that 46 million in this country are uninsured when the country spends more than any one else on health care. He said Americans pay $15 billion in taxes to help care for the uninsured....

http://www.cnn.com/POLITICS/blogs/politicalticker/2007/01/obama-calls-for-universal-health-care.html

[Ignacio Upton]

1. One way that they could get single payer: persuade large corporations to support it

http://economie.moldova.org/stiri/eng/24401/

Auto companies, unfortunately, are considering making unions shoulder the costs. Convincing them to support universal healthcare could be a boon for both management and union workers.

[aquart]

2. Most Americans are not in unions.

Are we all supposed to be without healthcare? The health of the population is a national security issue. It should not be up to the vagaries of economics at all.

[bobbie]

3. This is the second time I've been proud of Obama

The first time was after his speech at the 2004 Democratic convention.

He's been very timid IMO during his brief Senate career, and is an unproven commodity. But I appreciate the fact that he's finally taken a bold, and proper, stance on something critical.

[Ignacio Upton]

4. It depends on what type of universal healthcare he's supporting

If he supports single-payer healthcare or something else that's benign, then good. But if he supports faux UC like Romney, then his plan shouldn't be considered.

[bobbie]

7. Hm, good point. I really didn't look at the details.

...If there are details.

[AnOhioan]

18. Thank you for pointing that out....

The ONLY "Universal" healthcare plan is single payer.

[Mass]

5. What type of Universal jea;yjcare/

If it is not single payer, it is useless.

[Benhurst]

6. Six more years? When is the World's Onlys Superpower going

to join the Twentieth Century?

The Twenty-first Century? Maybe in another hundred years or so.

What a pathetic, backward, musclebound dump.

[Raskolnik]

9. So you want it tomorrow?

How are you going to accomplish that exactly?

[GreenArrow]

10. where there's a will, there's a way

A majority of people in this country want it now; a majority of politicians don't seemingly have the will to do anything about it.

[Raskolnik]

11. You think with a razor-thin majority in the Senate and the WH in Republican hands

that universal health care is possible in the next two years?

[GreenArrow]

12. sure it's possible

if the people who are supposed to work for us actually listen to us. The people want it. The politicians don't.

In short, possible, yes. Likely, no.

[Raskolnik]

13. Then you and I do not share the same political reality.

Have a great day.

[Benhurst]

14. I would have the Democratis in Congress pass a single-payer

not-for-profit universal health care program.

Let Bush veto it and the Republicans not vote to override, then hit them over the head with it from now until 2008.

The American people want national health. Enough of the Democrats always having to be on the winning side. Senate and House hearings on the abuses of the current system could be held in every state, every city in the country, building consensus.

For once they should just get on the right side of an issue and lay the foundation for what will be the overwhelming Democratic House and Senate to pass the legislation again in January 2009 for the Democratic president to sign into law.

[applegrove]

8. Bush plan tries to wedge big corporations from the universal health

care plan...because they would gain too.

[markiegreg]

15. The U.S. has nearly a 9 trillions dollar debt

and over 50 Trillion in unfunded liabilities (I believe it's the greatest general debt level - both public and private - in U.S. history). The most recent report I read stated to fulfill all U.S. liabilities the government would have to stop functioning and collect 100% of all taxable income nationwide for nearly 4 years. The 50+ trillion in liabilities is more than 4 times greater than the U.S. GDP. The U.S. Comptroller General recently estimated the total tax rate would need to at least double over the next few decades just to maintain current social programs and avoid insolvency. He also stated current social spending will eventually consume 100% of all federal government revenues. The federal government has to borrow billions of dollars each month along with raiding SS contributions just to stay solvent. With today's financial outlook, what would the eventual tax rate be with universal health care? 70%? 80%? Seriously, why would anyone want to add a potential debt pit like universal health care knowing the financial shape the U.S. is in? Using the word "insolvent" I don't think is an overstatement.

With the dollars recent slide against the euro, the Chinese government considered diversifying part of the nearly one trillion U.S. dollars they hold in national bank reserves with euros. The Federal Reserve Chairman and The U.S. Treasury Secretary along with a Wall street contingent flew to China in an effort to convince the Chinese not to dump the dollar. It's hard to find anything more telling than that (imo).

China is heavily funding the U.S. wars. If China stopped purchasing Treasury bills due to a declining dollar the funds would ultimately come from inflating the money supply. If China then dumped their dollar reserves a chain reaction could occur with other countries transferring their national bank reserves to euros to hedge against a falling dollar which could potentially lead to a worldwide dollar sell off (the nature of the trip above). The euro could replace the dollar as the world's reserve currency (which is beginning to happen). If that occurred, it would only be a matter of time before the petroeuro would replace the petrodollar. With an inflated dollar, the printing presses running at full tilt and trillions of dollars being sent back to the U.S., hyperinflation would be a possibility however that scenario is unlikely.

We should really get the financial house in order before increasing social programs (the bureaucratic nature of government would lead to greater debt and inflation of the money supply with universal health care. SS is 11 trillion dollars in the hole and getting worse. We really need to cut spending) or the ponzi scheme we call government accounting will eventually come crashing down.

[Bjorn Against]

20. I hope you realize that Universal health care costs less than the current system

Right now we spend so much money on insurance and emergency room costs that we actually end up spending way more on the current system. Look at every other industrialized nation in the world. They all have universal health care and they all have far lower health care costs.

Of course you can keep buying the Republican talking points and ignore the facts.

[Telly Savalas]

21. The United States has the highest per capita GDP in the world.

You can use all the smoke and mirrors in the world to try to disguise it, but the United States has more wealth presently than any other nation in history. There may be some pretty serious distributional problems in the economy, but to suggest that the United States cannot afford universal health care when every other Western democracy can is just ridiculous.

[ProudDad]

24. Some homework for you

Support HR676 -- Single-payer now!!!

http://www.house.gov/conyers/news_hr676_2.htm

"Maintaining current federal and state funding of existing health care programs. A modest payroll tax on all employers of 3.3%. A 5% health tax on the top 5% of income earners. A small tax on stock and bond transfers. Closing corporate tax loop-holes, repealing the Bush tax cut."

-----------------

http://www.pnhp.org/

http://www.healthcare-now.org/

"Luckily there's already plenty of money in the health care system. The US spends double what most other countries spend on health care, and Americans still have shorter lifespans, and 45 million people still go uninsured every year. Many financing schemes exist. Hundreds of billions of dollars could potentially be saved in administrative costs, which would far exceed the amount needed to insure everyone in the United States. Put most simply, the money that businesses currently pay for health care would go to the single-payer; this would make up most of the money needed."

http://www.grahamazon.com/sp/

[Greyhound]

16. Obama experts, how does he propose to accomplish this?

I'm just wondering if, with his plan, we will all still be subjected to the tender mercies of corporate medicine?
Thanks.:kick:

[Alhena]

17. Honestly, I think all Democratic candidates know this won't happen

the last time Hillary tried to accomplish universal health care a lot of Democrats even voted against her. And our structural deficits (aging population, Medicare running out of money) will be much worse in the 6 year time frame Obama is talking about.

There is simply no way any kind of aggressive universal health care plan will get the 60 votes needed to overcome a Senate fillibuster. And Hillary, Edwards and Obama all know it. Why do you think nothing even remotely approaching such a plan has EVER gained traction in Congress?

Hate to say it, but this talk is all so much hot air.

[ProudDad]

23. Hillary didn't propose single-payer

She was still pandering to the insurance companies that were Bill's major donors:

"Both the Congressional Budget Office and the General Accounting Office estimated that if we were to implement a health care system similar to the Canadian one, we could extend coverage to all Americans while saving billions of dollars annually. During the health care debate in 1993, there were 89 cosponsors of the single payer system. And yet, it was not given serious consideration. One reason for this is the well-funded health insurance power structure with its effective lobbying forces in Congress."

http://bcn.boulder.co.us/health/healthwatch/canada.html

[Telly Savalas]

22. As far as I'm aware, he's not outlined the specifics

I would expect that we'll see a specific plan outlined sometime in the next few months-- sometime before we enter yard-sign season.

My guess is that he'll advocate extending our current Medicare and Medicaid programs. I don't really see him pushing for a full-fledged Canadian-style single payer system, but I don't he's going to foist bullshit Romney Care on us either.

[ProudDad]

25. All he has to do

is call his friend John Conyers...then sign on to HR676

[Clarkie1]

19. I believe all serious Democratic candidates will support Universal Healthcare.

Has Obama made any specific proposals yet on how to best achieve it, in his view?