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Ear to the Ground

Obama Hops on the Healthcare Bandwagon

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Posted on May 29, 2007

How did the third rail of American politics suddenly become the must-have political accessory in the 2008 election? It might have something to do with skyrocketing healthcare costs and the tens of millions of uninsured. Thus Barack Obama has become the latest candidate to call for universal health coverage.


AP via Yahoo:

IOWA CITY, Iowa—Seeking to add heft to his presidential bid, Democrat Barack Obama is offering a sweeping plan that would require every American to have health coverage and calls on government, businesses and consumers to share the costs of the program.

Obama said putting in place universal health coverage has been debated for decades, but the time has finally come to act. He said his plan could save the average consumer $2,500 a year and bring health care to all.

“The time has come for universal, affordable health care in America,” Obama said in remarks prepared for delivery at the unveiling of his plan Tuesday in Iowa City.

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By Terry, May 30, 2007 at 6:13 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

I wonder what kind of lobby money he expects to raise from insurance companies??
Health Care should be a social program as it is in most countries. Drugs and all other health care shouldn’t be part of the capitalist system in which a treatment or cure is tied to the financial port folio of Insurance companies, hospitals, our doctors or drug providers.
I could say the same kind of thing about education.
There are great things about our “American Dreams” but when the health of our loved ones is at stake, we need honest medical care for all. Needless expensive treatments prescribed by a system in which greed is glamorized is the culprit to rising cost and malpractice.
I expect to see a new debate when Micheal Moore’s new movie “Sicko” comes out. I haven’t seen it but my expectations are high.
Denise Kucinich has a Health care plan that will work without Insurance companies which has the added benefit of ending the Iraq war and maybe even saving our planet by reducing our nuclear arsenal and over sized offensive military. We need defense but why should our offense be so offensive? Oil?
Obama lost me on this one.

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By Freedomfinder, May 29, 2007 at 8:49 pm Link to this comment

Plan???
Well sort of…

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By loveinatub, May 29, 2007 at 4:41 pm Link to this comment

I guess Nellie you haven’t heard of the democratic candidate for president, Dennis Kucinich.

Find out more at: http://kucinich.us

Dennis has spoken the words “single payer” and support the establishment of a single payer health care system in the United States.


#73660 by Nellie on 5/29 at 6:57 am
(Unregistered commenter)

I have yet to hear any candidate use the term “single payer,” and my understanding

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By Hank Van den Berg, May 29, 2007 at 1:57 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

A single payer plan as suggested by Physicians for a National Health care Program would be ideal.  But how on earth are we going to overcome the special interests like the insurance companies, the private hospitals and clinics, the drug companies?  We can’t even stop a dumb war!

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By Dale Headley, May 29, 2007 at 11:59 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

It is shameful that the U.S. is the only country in the developed world (and some of the undeveloped) that refuses to provide all of its citizens the most basic health care.  The health industry in America has only one goal, really: to make obscene profits.  If that goal can’t be met by insuring America’s children…oh well!  Fox News will do everything it can, including demonizing Michael Moore, to protect the moguls of the health and insurance industries at the expense of denying nearly 50,000,000 Americans decent health care. After all, they reason, that’s what evil communists, like Fidel Castro, do: give all their citizens high quality health care, instead of spending all its treasure on killing “ragheads”, as they should.

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By Schuyler, May 29, 2007 at 9:34 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

Obama has always been for universal health care. Hopped on the bandwaggon? He built the bandwaggon!

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By GW=MCHammered, May 29, 2007 at 9:05 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

Problem + Evermore $ = No Solution

Just look at how our $chools fail:
http://www.silentepidemic.org

Our ho$pital$ are no better:
http://kucinich.us/node/2309

Health care is a macabre gold brick sinking this nation. The solution:
Physicians for a National Health Program
http://www.pnhp.org

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By fpal, May 29, 2007 at 8:26 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

“...hops on healthcare bandwagon.”

Please!! Spare me these misnomer headlines.

A serious politician attempts a solution to a serious problem and the corporate media scoffs. What is it? The wrong ideology? Or the demagogy of the press.

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By Nellie, May 29, 2007 at 7:57 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

I have yet to hear any candidate use the term “single payer,” and my understanding is that this is the only reform that will solve our health care problems. Even if the candidates take issue with single payer health care, it is interesting that they won’t even mention the term—if only to convince us that universal is the better solution.

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