National Health Insurance is on the table again!

[blondeatlast]

Write your Democratic Reps and urge them to co-sponsor this bill.

More discussion on this in the new DU Legislative forum: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=308&topic_id=11

H.R.15
Title: To provide a program of national health insurance, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep Dingell, John D. (introduced 1/4/2005) Cosponsors (None)
Latest Major Action: 1/4/2005 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

Not much action yet, but a good time to get the ball rolling!

[Ian David]

1. I don't want national health insurance. The states should do it.

Enough of my taxes already go to the red states.

Let the Repugnicans be self-sufficient, and let their own taxes pay for it.

[blondeatlast]

2. I suspect you don't have a chronic health condition. I do.

I live in MORTAL fear of losing my employer-sponsored health insurance.

Guess we must disagree on this one.

It's dead in the water with this Congress anyway, but I'd like to see at least a debate.

Edit: btw, I'm a red stater. My entire state is blue except for a single, metropolitan county that sways slightly red everytime. We have a Dem governor, and a popular one at that.

I'm sick of the red/blue state wars. That's a R tactic, (state's rights) IMHO. Some things are just better for the COUNTRY.

[Ian David]

3. You may be right. Keeping the red staters healthy might benefit us all

Just so long as they realize it was the DEMOCRATS that pushed for it.

[ClassWarrior]

4. Yes it would benefit us all to care for all people...

It is one of our most important Progressive values.

And blonde is right - there are no red states or blue states. Only Red, White, and Blue states.

NGU.

[Ian David]

8. If only the blue states had health care, the red-staters would move here

When it comes to the Presidential elections you are right, there are no red or blue states.

However, when it comes to representatives and senators, there are red and blue states.

The red states are the ones where the elected officials are ruining our country.

If there are states where the congressmen are Dems but Bush got the majority, then I would consider those states to be Blue.

I'm not criticizing all the citizens of the red states. Just the elected representatives of those states.

[ClassWarrior]

12. What about the so-called "Blue States" where almost half the people...

...are Regressive? That's an awfully purple "blue." Or vice versa?

The only people who benefit from this overly-simplistic and devisive distortion of the great United States of America are the Radical RWers and the corporatists.

There are only Red, White, and Blue States.

NGU.

[DaveinMD]

5. there are good people that live in red states

we should be aiming to win those states, not punish them.

National health care has no chance of passing in this Congress and with this President.

[CBHagman]

6. I'm in the same boat, blondeatlast.

I was enraged to learn that the Bush administration wants to ELIMINATE the tax deduction for health insurance. That's right; they want to remove the incentive for employers to provide health insurance. That's as good as throwing tens of millions of men, women and children out of the health insurance pool.

And anyone who thinks thatputting caps on awards in medical liability cases will ensure that we will be able to afford the health care premiums probably believes in Tinkerbell and fairy dust, too. Insurance companies are not about to lower our premiums in response to that.

Every major industrialized country has faced this problem in some fashion, and only the U.S. refuses to deal with it completely. We're so afraid of change that we accept a system in which we are paying for a private system of administrative costs and pay more and more each year, all without covering everybody.

I'm frustrated that people just parrot the same old cliches I heard 25 years ago regarding health insurance. We are in a very dangerous situation, and Congress had better get its ass in gear on this one.

[blondeatlast]

7. I also think this can be a sell to small business.

I'm shocked at how few people know how tenuous employer sponsored care is. Many companies are just looking for any excuse to drop it.

[Ian David]

10. Speaking of small business, Bush is eliminating Small Business Loans

[ClassWarrior]

9. There are no RED STATES!!!

If you have to categorize, say "the states whose electoral votes went to Bush**" - but realize that ignores the so-called "Red Staters" in the other states too.

NGU.

[Ian David]

11. Freepers are everywhere and won't go away. Like herpes.