"I Am Tired Of Being A Second Class Citizen In The Most Powerful Nation.."

[matcom]

on Earth"

so said Dean last Thursday regarding National Health Care for ALL (source: CSPAN2-rerun)

now, of course HE has health care but he was NOT referring to himself. he was speaking for ALL those uninsured

more:

"...even Costa Rica takes care of its citizens' health care needs...."

AMAZING (that we are even HAVING this conversation in the year 2003 don't you think????)

F*cking AMAZING that this is even an issue!

[Melsky]

1. Yeah!

And I can't believe that people still dismiss having universal health care as "socialist medicine" like someone just said to me on another board.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

8. And why do the call it "Socialist Medicine"?

Because Big Pharma pays to have it called that. They and the rest of the health care industry are fighting, tooth and nail, to make as much money off of our illness and misery, until the inevitable happens, and we go to some sort of single-payer scheme.

It is chaos, utter chaos, out there in the health care industry. So said the professionals I spoke to during my mother's decline in health. They know it's coming, and for them, it cannot be too soon.

One of the things some people like to say is that if we go
single-payer, we will get degraded care and lots of delays. Well, if you have no coverage, like so many citizens, you already have degraded care. If you are in an HMO, delays in care are legendary.

It's a mess and the system is being gamed by Big Pharma, Insurance Companies, HMOs and the drug formularies that lie in the middle of the morass.

[KC21304]

15. Socialized medicine is just fine with me.

It goes very nicely with Social Security. And what do they think Medicare is ?

[liberalhistorian]

17. Believe me, the repukes are coming after

Medicare as well!

[ikojo]

19. As I posted on another thread earlier today...Medicare is more private

than public. It is funded by the government but administered by private insurance companies. When people whine about waste, fraud and abuse in the Medicare program they are essentially whining about mismanagement in the private insurance industry but because it's Medicare people WRONGFULLY think it's a bunch of government employees. Oh that couldnt't be further from the truth!

[alcuno]

2. I love when he lists all the countries that do have health care

when we do not. It's a great line and something worth fighting for.

[laura888]

6. yeah! can we get that list posted here?

would really like to see it.

[alcuno]

18. I'll look.

We'll probably be able to include Iraq.

[T Roosevelt]

3. Amazing? Or sad...

It is sad that this is an issue. What's amazing is matcom posting in GD :evilgrin:

[matcom]

9. this has become a dangerous place lately

i'm treading on thin ice in here :P

:hi:

[liberalhistorian]

12. LOLOLOL!

I was thinking just the same thing! Actually, from what I've heard, Dean has been really timid on this issue, saying that it's not time to be tinkering with the health care system. I was really disappointed in that, since I thought that he of all of the candidates would be the perfect one to address this extremely critical issue.

[BattyDem]

4. Dr. Dean, I've said it before and I'll say it again ...

I LOVE you, man! :loveya:

[caledesi]

5. I am so glad you have brought this up because

for so long the repugs have slammed any kind of universal health care as "socialized"...you know, it sounds like Commie stuff.

Well Dean is brilliant in the way he has framed this issue. Instead of just saying "Hey, everyone SHOULD have health care," He inserts the 2ND-CLASS CITIZEN and this drives the point home even to conservatives! When I first heard him use this, I about fell over, the passion with which he says it...it's a winner in EVERY speech. I have watched all his speeches and the crowd goes nuts. They start looking at one another, like "hey, why DON'T we have health care and hey, I don't wanna be no 2nd-class citizen."

edit: typos

[liberalhistorian]

16. The repugs don't give a shit about access to health care

and its costs because they don't ever have to worry about it or deal with it since they have full coverage and the resources to pay for whatever isn't covered. It's basically, "we've got ours, so the hell with yours and fuck you!"

The health care crisis will never be solved unless and until Congress and the Senate no longer have their excellent federal plan that covers EVERYTHING for themselves and their families with no co-pays or refusals. That, to me, is the ultimate injustice, that health care solutions are being held up and/or decided by those who have not and will not feel the sting of being uninsured or underinsured.

[Kathy in Cambridge]

7. Costa Rica-where I plan to retire

to hell with Florida!

As Dean says, Costa Rica takes care of its citizens health care needs. Costa Rica is a small, stable democracy with a relatively decent standard of living. The US has no excuse when countries not nearly as wealthy provide healthcare for all their citizens.

The frightening part about growing old in America is that by the time we're in our 'golden years' (30 years from now), most of us won't be able to afford the prescription drugs and surgeries that may be necessary.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

22. A friend of mine was in a car crash in Costa Rica

She said her medical care was just fine and didn't cost her a penny.

[Clete]

10. Even Cuba has health care for all of its citizens.

I'm with you matcom.

[Padraig18]

11. My doctor supports Dean

He says Howard is the *only* candidate who offers a workable solution to the health-care crisis! :thumbsup:

[Clete]

14. Yes, this is true.

It will take a physician who is familiar with the health care industry to break it and then reassemble it into something workable for both patients and health care givers.

[Nikia]

13. Now I am definitely for him

Health care should be a right, not a privlege.

[DemBones DemBones]

20. So has Dean now decided to support universal health care?

In the past he's said it couldn't be done so he would push for health care for some, but not all, the uninsured. He doesn't think he could get Congress to pass universal health care, as I understand it. I hope to hear that he's changed his position.

I like Kucinich's plan better -- the short version is to expand Medicare to cover everyone. How do we get Congress to pass it? We can elect enough new people to the Senate and House to support President Kucinich on this, like the American people elected enough new people to Congress when they elected FDR the first time, making it possible for the New Deal to be born.

Bush* is as bad as Hoover and we need a big change.

[BonjourUSA]

21. Don't dream.

I believe you'll never get an universal health care.

Your system is locked by the insurance compagnies and pharma industry. Any president who will want attack them will break his teeth.