I have the answer for the health care system. abandon it.  Homeopathic medicine saved my life after the genius modern chemical medicine tried to kill me.  The drugs do not work, the influence peddling and government freebies to the drug and insurrance industry does not reach the consumer.  Leave them out to die, and tightly controlled homeopathic practices will be cheaper, more affective and without poluted politics to pretect it.  Tort reforms will only protect the drug companies from the citisens, it will not protect the citisens from the drug companies.  The FDA has got to be shut down and all, yes all of it’s people fired.

Its not just the economics which are a concern. Another big health scare re toxic drugs.....???

Quote Forbes, 08.12.07: “Novartis’ Prexige unlikely to receive US approval in Sept after Australian ban.....” http://www.forbes.com/markets/feeds/afx/2007/08/12/afx 4011258.html and also see.....

ZURICH, Aug 11 (Reuters) - “Australia’s drugs regulator banned the use of Novartis’s Prexige because of liver problems in patients using the painkiller, the watchdog said, including two deaths and two liver transplants .......The country’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) had received eight reports of serious liver side effects associated with the use of the drug, also known as Lumiracoxib .....” http://www.reuters.com/article/health-SP/idUSL11696467 20070811

#94419 by PaulMagillSmith on 8/12 at 11:25 pm: “...Here’s an article about how the average American is screwed.... http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/ ....Is there something wrong with this picture? Sure there is when only one percent of the population makes a million a year, yet they try to tell us other 99% what to do, how to tighten our belts for national security, healthcare, moral atitudes & behavior, conservation, and numerous other items on the agenda...”

Oh, I thought that they used ‘box-cutters’ - oops, I mean screwdrivers, duh!

That’s a great info site PMS, and they also have a blog too for those stories (and some video links) - can see both at http://www.ichblog.eu/index.php

By the way, check Global research.org July 1, 2007 - The Fed’s Role in the Bear Stearns Hedge Funds Meltdown: “...To large extent, the housing bubble has concealed the systematic destruction of America’s industrial and manufacturing base. Low interest rates have lulled the public to sleep while millions of high-paying jobs have been outsourced. The rise in housing prices has created the illusion of prosperity but, in truth, we are only selling houses to each other and are not making anything that the rest of the world wants. The $11 trillion dollars that was pumped into the real estate market is probably the greatest waste of capital investment in the nations’ history. It hasn’t produced a single asset that will add to our collective wealth or industrial competitiveness. It’s been a total bust....” http://www.thetruthseeker.co.uk/article.asp?ID=6807

Here’s an article about how the average American is screwed.

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article11104.htm

Here’s a sample of the link:

“They know that the ‘appearance’ of choice in political races is little more than an illusion of choice. So vast are the sums of money needed to run a major political campaign today that only the wealthiest people can afford to run. This leaves ninety-nine percent of the population out in the cold.”

and more…

“The result of having too many wealthy people in office is having calamitous impacts on America’s working class families—the backbone of our society. It has resulted in the breakdown of the family unit. Wealthy people are likely to look out for their own financial interests rather than the welfare of society, especially the poor.”

It’s one thing for someone to make a million dollars in their entire working lifetime, yet quite another to make a million a year. About 125 members of the house did so in this 2004 report, and a greater percentage of the senate. Tonight I’m trying to figure if I have enough gas to get home, while the people we delegated to look after our interests are concerned about which car to drive home...the red one or the silver one, both brand new, of course.

Is there something wrong with this picture? Sure there is when only one percent of the population makes a million a year, yet they try to tell us other 99% what to do, how to tighten our belts for national security, healthcare, moral atitudes & behavior, conservation, and numerous other items on the agenda they rarely have to, or do, deal with.

We’re in a Catch 22 situation. We have to get public financing of political campaigns, but the people who can make the vote happen are millionaires, and won’t do it because it interferes with ‘their’ system of hegemony. Like I said, the average American is screwed.

RE: #94397 by Debra Istvanik-Strotman on 8/12 at 8:59 pm
(9 comments total)

“...you can’t afford to see a doctor as long as you look out for the Guiliani and Romney’s of this country.”

You said a mouthful, precious lady. We need to level the playing field between public servants, and the public they are supposed to serve. Right now it looks like a one-sided proposition. They don’t pay, they win, we pay, we lose. Something’s just not right with this equation, or perhaps that’s the problem. Something’s too far right with this equation. For the sake of our nation we need to recalculate this formula. The math dunce that figured this out had to be a millionaire, or member of congress...or both.

Few, and never a Republican, argue against the notion that the Federal government must maintain a military such that it might protect and defend the nation and its interests.  Thus a socialized military - meant to protect all and paid for by all.

If this is possible, then why is it so impossible for Republicans to see that there is little point in protecting Americans if their government cannot be bothered to make certain they receive at least a modicum of the healthcare basics?

Romney and Giuliani do not want the american people to have universal health insurance, yet sit back and expect taxpayers to supply politicians and their families with the best health care for the rest of their lives. Doesn’t matter that you can’t afford to see a doctor as long as you look out for the Guiliani and Romney’s of this country.

The best way to get Universal Healthcare is to insist politicians including the president pay for their own insurance. While we are at it we must make them pay into medicare. Only then will they stop raiding medicare for other uses.

No more free handouts to government and these clowns will give us Universal healthcare, and stop robbing medicare for pet projects.

I don’t want some Romney type telling me to take the food out of someone’s mouth to pay for insurance and if I don’t I will be fined.

#93751 by cyrena on 8/10 at 12:18 pm

Yeah I noticed, and , considering the methodolgy of these folks , since Reagan in fact, of changing the debate to suit their own facts and goals I feel obligated to say enough of this crap.

I guess we Americans are pretty naive sorts accepting these little lies which then build into one giant fraudulent rip off of our tax dollars. The evidence has been inescapable for a very long time, and yet noone seemed overly upset about it until now.

Forty six million American citizens have no health care at all, aside from emergency room treatment which is fabulously expensive. Eleven million of those are children. All the while CEO’s are reaping hundreds of millions and more in compensation and bonuses from an industry that is both the most expensive of its kind in the world and far from the most efficient as well.

Dont even get me started on the Pharmaceutical pirates.....

I always wonder at people like Marshall, what is it he gains from being such an ass? What benefits him to spread lies and distortions, to aid in the continuing ripoff of our Treasury, in the early deaths of too many denied diagnosis and treatment because it doesnt serve the bottom line? Does he think they will let him in the club?

#93728 by ardee on 8/10 at 10:38 am
(424 comments total)

I cannot pass up that ludicrous comparison by one of our resident right wingers stating that medicare overhead, listed at 3%, is a paper shuffling fraud.

There is fraud here of course, and it is Marshalls attempt to hoodwink us. Imagine if Medicare was permitted to get competitive bids for prescription drugs, why our health care system might not be the most expensive in the world by far and our ranking among industrialised nations might climb above 36th!
*************************
So Ardee,

You noticed that too, eh? But I know you weren’t surprised. There’s something more than just “right-wing” wrong with Marshall though. He’s a pretty creepy dude. I think most folks are on to him though.

I think all of these folks are “plants”, and there are so many more of them now, because the White House gang is downright desperate about now.

It would actually be kind of fun to watch them slither to and fro, trying to hold up this this house of lies, if only they hadn’t brought the whole thing down with us in it.

Still, their desperation just increases, making them chase their tails ever faster.

How on earth did we fall so low?

Once again, Giuliani opens mouth and proves what we all suspected ... nothing in the attic.
[Hmmm maybe he is the perfect republican candidate.]

“Democrats are conspiring to impose the kind of care preferred by citizens across the industrialized world.” He says ...

Wow ... someone actually wants to impose on us the kind of care PREFERRED by citizens across the industrialized world!

“You have got to see the trap.” He babbles on ... “Otherwise ... We are in for Canadian healthcare, French healthcare, British healthcare.”

Guess what you republican presidential wannabee nincompoop ...
Any one of them would be a monumental improvement over what we have!

How on earth did we fall so low that we have the dumbest and the dimmest competing for the position of President of the United States?

I cannot pass up that ludicrous comparison by one of our resident right wingers stating that medicare overhead, listed at 3%, is a paper shuffling fraud.

There is fraud here of course, and it is Marshalls attempt to hoodwink us. Imagine if Medicare was permitted to get competitive bids for prescription drugs, why our health care system might not be the most expensive in the world by far and our ranking among industrialised nations might climb above 36th!

#93510 by Anthony on 8/09 at 1:37 pm

If I had stayed in beautiful California I would have died because I could not have afforded the medical insurance. The doctors are great here, and I can go to whoever I please and this is the truth!!

Thanks for posting this Anthony. I pretty much learned the very same lesson, except that I didn’t get to Canada. (Fortunately, I didn’t die either) Still, I’m getting our paperwork in order, to eventually make that same move. A pity, since California is beautiful, and “home”.

Still, I love Canada as well, and most professionals do too. Canadian doctors are happier:). They can just take care of their patients, without the hassles that go into collecting enormous profits.

That makes the patients happier too! Everybody lives longer and healthier lives.

Worth nothing that comparisons of overhead costs between Medicare and private insurance appear to significantly exagerate the difference by not counting many of Medicare’s costs.  For example, Medicare unreported costs include parts of salaries for legislators, staff and others working on Medicare, building costs, marketing costs, collection of premiums and taxes, and accounting, including auditing and fraud issues, etc. These are currently not counted as Medicare costs in the federal budget.

When these actual costs are factored in, the difference in overhead between Medicare and private insurance is much smaller.

When Bob Dole was running for president against Clinton, he claimed there was “no health care crisis” in America. Yeah, sure not for him and his cronies.They had the best health care in this country my tax dollars could buy.I worked over 80 hour a week every week of the year in the medical field and never had health care benefits.We can afford to cover medical expenses in many other countries,however we cannot take care of our own people.Way to go America.

The Commies are coming!!  The Commies are coming!!

How ridiculous is that??

The GOP health care plan is meant for the top 20% of American earners...Rudy’s plan is a smokescreen of so-called deductions which has no fiscal merit whatsoever for the middle class and especially the low wage earners...let’s face it, who’s going to take care of the poverty stricken, aged and destitute, it’s not for profit medicine, that’s for sure....throwing the the less fortunate under the bus will create more social problems to an already Frist-crippled health care system.

Great comments and great article.

RE:#93470 by ardee on 8/09
“So, in the interest of fairness, it behooves me to note that all the democratic candidates, with one exception (DK), are still wedded to a for profit health care system.”

Great point, I agree, but then if you’ve seen “SICKO” it’s obvious why.  Of course, you can also see who’s on the healthcare industry payrolls at:
http://www.michaelmoore.com/sicko/sickos-for-sale/cand idates/

Kuchinich is the only one endorsing true health care for all without all the profits attached.  END PRIVITAZATION OF HEALTH CARE.

RE:#93478 by PaulMagillSmith on 8/09
“Since ‘framing’ seems to be the power strategy on everyone’s minds right now perhaps we should start speaking in terms of Commonwealth Medicine instead the still fear causing Socialized Medicine. Just a thought.”

Absolutely, I think for many who are “unconnected” this would be a huge incentive to kind of “hear em out” on the plan.

RE: #93483 by pointus on 8/09
Thanks for the summary. I would feel better if it included a committee of oversight so the neocons can’t infiltrate those who oversee its execution and delivery.  I propose a committee made up entirely of those with chronic illnesses, who live at 500% or less of the current federal poverty level standard.
This would ensure that those who understand what it means to a life to be denied care when you are ill would safeguard it.  I also propose that these be designated as half-time positions to protect that status. I would also add language allowing a popular vote on major organizational changes to further insure against greedy corps’ and for profit organization’s infiltration.

I’ve always been pleasantly surprised when my local fish wrapper, The Oregonian, prints a Joe Conason op-ed, as it did this one today.
Folks need to be aware that a wonderful proposal for universal coverage already exists, and has been languishing in congress since 2003: the Conyers-Kucinich health care bill HR.676. From the summary of the bill:

“United States National Health Insurance Act (or the Expanded and Improved Medicare for All Act) - Establishes the United States National Health Insurance (USNHI) Program (the Program) to provide all individuals residing in the United States and in U.S. territories with free health care that includes all medically necessary care, such as primary care and prevention, prescription drugs, emergency care, and mental health services.

Prohibits an institution from participating in the Program unless it is a public or nonprofit institution. Allows nonprofit health maintenance organizations (HMOs) that actually deliver care in their own facilities to participate in the Program.

Gives patients the freedom to choose from participating physicians and institutions.

Prohibits a private health insurer from selling health insurance coverage that duplicates the benefits provided under this Act. Allows such insurers to sell benefits that are not medically necessary, such as cosmetic surgery benefits.”

Sounds pretty good to me. Clean and simple. I think that if more people were aware of HR.676, it could create a groundswell of support, & pressure on our representatives. I have been pestering my congressman for some time about this, urging him to become a co-sponsor.

RE: #93330 by cyrena on 8/09 at 1:10 am
(720 comments total)

“...the decades’ old rape by the insurance industry, which is of course -THEM-.”

Excellent point, cyrena, as usual. It has gone on too long. My mother was an RN who worked for an HCA (Hospital Corporation of America) hospital, the largest conglomerate of hospitals in the US. Even back in the sixties we would have heated arguments about the need for some sort of socialized medicine in this country. A very intelligent woman she still sided with those who signed her paycheck, although even then I suspect she knew the system was broken.

One thing that really clouds the debate is how thoroughly (following WWII and into the fifties) the American public was propagandized to fear anything that even hinted at communism or socialism. We were programmed into the belief that if we put down our guard we would be over-run by the red menace. This carried into the sixties (domino theory, Kruschev saying our grandchildren would live under communism) and an ideology of capitalism v. communism/socialism became even more firmly entrenched.

Once again we face the fearmongering that the fascists, neo-CONS, and conservative Republicans have found so productive for their corporate allies and themselves to maintain...a ‘have’ and ‘have-not’ stratification of our society. To stay up it is necessary for them to keep everyone else down, and what better way than to profit handsomely from a sick society & have everyone’s noses to the grindstone trying to keep up with outrageously (obscenely even) rising medical costs. A busy fearful ‘worker bee’ will not threaten the queen (king), right?

I imagine there might have been some greedy sick bastard who saw or planned all this beforehand. More than likely what started out as the ‘only’ system deteriorated into a ‘bad’ system with the rise of Mega-insurance, but now it is a ‘miserable’ untenable one in our extremely financially class divided society. Any society where 1% of the population control 90% of the wealth, AND set policy for the vast majority, is headed for a fall.

Fortunately, regardless how battered & tattered by this criminally conspiratorial administration, we still have what remains of the founding fathers’ intent on our side. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness doesn’t mean facing death & disease because you can’t afford medical care, nor does it mean being un-happy because you are ailing, or lost your house to pay medical bills to (because of) some already fat corporate lord. We have a right to be healthy, AND to share in the “common wealth” and “health” of our nation.

Since ‘framing’ seems to be the power strategy on everyone’s minds right now perhaps we should start speaking in terms of Commonwealth Medicine instead the still fear causing Socialized Medicine. Just a thought. 

“But, it doesn’t matter. We’re not putting up with it anymore.”

That’s the patriotic revolutionary spirit my friend. Just as the Chambers Brothers wrote/sang, “Time has come today” AND we don’t mean off in some distant future...TODAY!!!

“And now they’re up to their same old scare tactics, of throwing around threats like “socialism”. HA!… Sure beats the hell of a Corporate Monarchy soon-to-be police state.”

With people like you around, vocalizing concerns for everyone, the easy thing to do would be to sit back and let someone else shoulder OUR load, but we can’t do this at all. This fight is for the benefit of ALL of us and we must ALL carry the fight to them. For the health of our lives & country we can never yield on this issue one bit. We must never compromise on this issue or use it as a trade-off for some other dastardly program the elite want. We WILL win this one way or another!!! pmsinva2 at hotmail dot com

In the past anything resembling universal health care has been impossible because proposals for such are made radioactive by simply throwing out the term “socialized medicine”. The Republicans are gambling that this dynamic will still work. That remains to be seen…

An interesting datapoint, Taiwan went to universal care about a decade ago, they had an even higher percentage of uninsured than the US. The total national health bill went down after the change! We are spending so much of our healthcare costs, and patient time and energy fighting over who pays. Why do insurance companies go to great lengths to try to get rid of “high cost” patients? Clearly if they can get these people to insure with someone else -or not at all, their botton line improves. The incentives are just plain all wrong.

So, in the interest of fairness, it behooves me to note that all the democratic candidates, with one exception (DK), are still wedded to a for profit health care system.

With Medicare operating at a three percent overhead, and every single for profit company quite a bit higher, with the abysmal statistics compared to every other industrialised nation, it is long past time for us to consider something new. Yet the money poured into our political campaigns by insurance companies, HMO’s and the AMA make this very unlikely, whether Democrat or Republican.

This reminds me of one of my many discussions with my Rush loving father in law who loves his Medicare and Veteran’s benefits but would hate to see our country go down the path of “socialized medicine”.
I’m self employed and pay over $500 a month for a $2,000 deductible policy for my family.  I know that I would pay less for better coverage if it was government run.  So would employers like GM etc.  Money saved by employers could go to better wages, or even more profits for them.
These Bozos’ ideologies are crippling their abilities to think in a rational manner. 
By the way, Mitt and Rudy both have health insurance that is “socialized” as well as the rest of their Republican hypocrites.  If they want to walk the talk, then they should dump their government coverage and go with a private carrier so they can demonstrate the superiority of health insurance for profit.

Every time I listen to the GOP reps or the White House I still cannot believe these morons actually expect to win another election.  Even though my family has pretty good (untested) insurance which is Union paid, I am more than willing to go to a 100% universal healthcare system. I also expect to pay something for this coverage.  It’s time to stop the insanity, stop the fear, stop the distruction of our democracy.  If the Chicago MSNBC Democratic Debate was any indication, I think our country’s citizens are up for a major change in DC business!  We all need to push our reps for support for universal healthcare.  Let’s not let them off the hook this time.  The sooner we rid DC of this corrupt administration and make it clear to the Democratic Party we will no longer be silent or complacent the better.

Until Americans learn to take care of their less fortunate fellow Americans and are willing to make the necessary personal sacrifices to do so, there will always be a ‘Dark Side’ to America. If the Scandinavians can do it, why can’t we ‘Just Do It’?! To hell with the Republican, Democratic and Zionist devils who oppose this humanitarian solution! Let’s demonstrate love, not just mouthe it!

This is an excellent piece. Just brought to mind how very desperate this gang of thrugs is, (the GOP) to maintain the decades’ old rape by the insurance industry, which is of course -THEM-.

I don’t know how we’ve been so stupid for so long, to put up with this. But, it doesn’t matter. We’re not putting up with it anymore.

We need a system, and it’s disgustingly criminal and immoral that the allegedly wealthiest country in the world is so far behind the rest of the world in providing something as basic as health care, and only because they’ve been ripping off us instead.

And now they’re up to their same old scare tactics, of throwing around threats like “socialism”. HA! We should be so lucky….even for the mildest form of it. Sure beats the hell of a Corporate Monarchy soon-to-be police state.