Sen. Russell Feingold on Single Payer ...

[slipslidingaway]

http://www.dunnconnect.com/articles/2010/02/09/news/doc4b7193d6509f4816839479.txt
http://pnhp.org/blog/2010/02/10/sen-russell-feingold-on-single-payer/


"...The senator got applause from the mostly pro-Feingold crowd when he said he was in favor of a single-payer system, but said he has not seen enough support for single-payer in recent months.

“There wasn’t near enough support for single-payer at this point,” Feingold said. “I’m willing to see if this bill that we passed in the Senate works. If it doesn’t, however, then maybe we have to go back and look at single-payer. I’m suddenly hearing more talk about it, so if the current health care bill dies, we might eventually hear more about (single-payer).”


...Feingold did say that the time for health care reform is long overdue.

“I’m worried about this,” he said. “I was in this job in the early 90s when the health care plan with the Clintons failed. Every year in the 90s when I went to town meetings like this, health care was the number one issue. I’ve been going to these types of sessions for 17 years, and by far the thing people ask for the most is universal health care.”

Feingold did say that the current health care bill would still be a victory for health insurance providers.

“When we had the public option die with our bill in the Senate, the champagne bottles were popping over at the insurance companies’ offices,” Feingold said..."


Comment by Don McCanne MD

http://pnhp.org/blog/2010/02/10/sen-russell-feingold-on-single-payer/

"Sen. Russell Feingold seems to be saying what we’ve been saying all along. If the Senate bill fails, then we’ll “hear more about (single-payer).” If this bill passes but doesn’t work (and it won’t), then “we have to go back and look at single-payer.”

One way or another, we eventually will have single payer or some form of social insurance very close to it. With increasing intolerance to rising costs which result in diminished access and impaired health outcomes, no other end result is possible."

[Edweird]

1. Sounds like a plan.

[slipslidingaway]

2. Yes it does, we need to cut out years of waiting and just move...

to a plan that covers everyone.

:)

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

3. Feingold is getting a high speed train.

[slipslidingaway]

6. Nice :) n/t

[Cleita]

4. So I hope they cut to the chase and offer a public option like

Medicare that anyone who wants it can buy into it or if they need assistance that the government can help them buy. Anyone else who likes things as they are can keep their old Blue Cross or whatever. Why can't this get done? This is what Obama and company were talking about to begin with.

[slipslidingaway]

7. There were offers from doctors and politicians in other countries ...

to come to the US and discuss their health care systems.

Imagine if the Dem leaders had taken them up on this idea and really pushed for HC for all. We cannot get it done because we want to keep the investors happy and therefore are not willing to use all the available tools.

[AlinPA]

5. "...if the current health care bill dies": It's looking more like it will die with phrases like this

coming from Feingold.

[slipslidingaway]

8. Could be, but they have to be able to discuss a national HC system...

right away and have an open debate.

[ashling]

9. Single Payer would be an excellent jobs creation vehicle

Repubs want to give tax cuts -- single payer would relieve big and small businesses from their obligation to pay big bucks to provide health care ... freeing up money for expansion or creation of new businesses.

I thnk there still needs to be jobs stimulus, but this is a win/win.

or so it seems to me :shrug:

[slipslidingaway]

12. I agree! n/t

[FourScore]

10. Love Feingold! k&r

[PHIMG]

11. Please everyone : "Medicare for All"

Much better term to use than "Single Payer".

[slipslidingaway]

13. Yes it is a better term - The Power of the Word Medicare ...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=6365319&mesg_id=6365319

The Power of the Word Medicare -

When the word Medicare is used in the various polls, the number of people who favor the plan automatically jumps, it makes no difference if the question relates to the public option or a national insurance system such as single-payer...the word "Medicare" has a favorable connotation.

What Kaiser did, at times, was half sample certain questions.

For instance if they were sampling 1200 people, they would ask about a public plan "like Medicare" to only half of the people. The other half they would leave out the word "Medicare" and the support for a public plan, or single-payer, would drop...

Now their August poll has just been released and they did not half sample the public option or single-payer questions, what they did do is include the word "Medicare" when asking about the public option and exclude it from the question about single-payer, guess what happened to the single-payer poll...it dropped.

[dflprincess]

14. "by far the thing people ask for the most is universal health care.”

note Russ said "CARE", not "COVERAGE".

He should have added "but not many of my colleagues listen to the voters."

[slipslidingaway]

17. Yes, wish more would make that distinction. :) n/t

[inna]

15. KR+19. Love the guy. nt

[Edweird]

16. Kick.