Universal Single Payer Healthcare - who supports it? Any candidate besides DK?

[Stinky The Clown]

I bet this thread drops like a stone.

[Armstead]

1. Nope -- And it's a damn shame

[MGKrebs]

2. You mean "who supports it RIGHT NOW" ?

Because I think they all support it ultimately. Some just believe that it will probably take a couple of steps to get there.

[bvar22]

44. The Candidates who are taking bribes from the Health Insurance CEOs

will NEVER support "Single Payer".

[mac2]

3. Nurses target Cheney and candidates about health care

http://ga1.org/campaign/cheneycare?qp_source=guaranteedhealthcare

Sign the petition. Most of us don't have a Blackhawk helicopter and MD team travel with us as protection against health problems either. I think Cheney has gone over his $3 million insurance limit.

Love those CA nurses. My mother-in-law was one.

[robcon]

4. It doesn't matter.

Congress, as it is currently constructed, and as it is likely to be constructed after the 2008 election, doesn't favor single-payer healthcare.

1. No president can sign a bill that isn't passed by Congress. Single payer will not pass, IMO. It has almost no Congressional support.

2. No Democratic president will veto the healthcare bill that the Democratic-led Congress will pass.

Conclusion: it doesn't matter what the president's healthcare plan is. We will have what Congress decides, not what the president wants.

[Stinky The Clown]

6. A president should be a leader

We have a president who led us to war.

Now we need a president who lead us to a better life.

Sorry, but the president's role is to lead, and that is even more important when his party runs Congress.

[robcon]

10. I have no doubt that Obama, Clinton or Edwards will be leaders.

But they can't get a bill passed that the congress won't support.

Do you disagree that there is no way that a Democratic President could get Congress to vote for single-payer?

[Stinky The Clown]

18. What part of 'leader' is unclear

That's how it happened in Canada.

[robcon]

22. What part of Congress, not the president, do you fail to comprehend?

There are leaders in Congress, there is leadership in the presidency.

If you think a president could get single-payer passed, (even in a 60-40 Congress, both houses)I think you are seriously delusional.

[Stinky The Clown]

24. It can also be said that the candidates are whistle asses when it comes to bold stances.

[robcon]

47. Agreed. But that gets them elected.

n/t

[mac2]

7. During an election is the only time

they will listen. Have you asked? Sign the petition by the nurses.

[cyclezealot]

5. The Edwards plan calls for

Health care markets and a mandate all Americans buy into insurance pools. No thanks. Not acceptable.

[mac2]

8. See post #3

and sign the petition for Edwards and other candidates.

[cyclezealot]

Thanks I sent my petition too.

As to Edwards. All he has to do to convince us that his 'populist rhetoric' is genuine. Endorse Single Payer. Until then we are skeptics.

[Stinky The Clown]

9. ***ALL*** the candidates have 'plans' that simply stir the insurance stew pot

The details they cite don't mean diddly squat. They all keep the shitty system in place and put some patches on the spots where the shit leaks out more heavily.

It isn't fair to cite one candidate's plan over another. On this point, they ALL suck.

[stimbox]

12. They all suck but DK's plan.

Signed the petition!

[Lasher]

13. Right, any plan sucks if it retains insurance company involvement.

But if we're not going to get single payer universal health care right now I would be interested in knowing which leading candidate's plan sucks the least.

[stimbox]

15. Well, then we have to demand it from our frontrunners then. n/t

[Lasher]

19. I'm all for that but I also want to know where they all currently come in on the suck scale.

It's good to know who is most likely to get us closer to where we need to be.

[Lasher]

21. Delete

Posted wrong place, duh.

[Stinky The Clown]

20. "sucks the least"

How low are our standards?

Not attacking you for saying that, cuz you're absolutely **right** to ask. But geeze ..........

[Lasher]

25. OK OK, try this:

Which one is best? And second best.

At work I used to say I was forecasting when I was guessing. Same thing but one sounds better than the other. Kinda like you would say you bought a pre-owned car. :D

[maxanne]

32. why

are you so willing to settle for less?

[Lasher]

46. I always like to say there are no stupid questions.

Then somebody like you comes along and proves me wrong.

[justgamma]

11. I believe John Edwards does.

His plan is to let people have a choice. Enroll in a for profit insurance plan or choose the not for profit government plan. His hopes are that eventually people will choose the public plan and it would then evolve into single payer for everyone.

[Stinky The Clown]

14. Why don't I know this?

Is he afraid of the issue?

[justgamma]

26. I don't know.

I've heard him talk about it. I've read his literature and it must be on his website.

Basically he is saying let people choose. He's betting people choose single payer. I do think he doesn't emphasize this enough.

[Stinky The Clown]

28. He sez ........

"All residents required to have insurance coverage except in cases of extreme financial hardship or religious beliefs"

Nice plan if one can afford it, huh?

Follow the link downthread: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=3958565&mesg_id=3958830

[justgamma]

30. The government would

subsidize insurance for middle-class families on a sliding scale up to $80,000 for a family of four.
He also says that requiring people to join would take place after other measures are put into place that would lower costs.

Single-payer is the way to go. Realistically, we may just have to compromiise and ease into it.

Let's face it, he's the only other candidate to even mention single-payer.

[Stinky The Clown]

31. That may be, but his stance is analagous to HRC's stance on Troops in Iraq .....

We're gunna get out, but not really.

Wishy washy. Equivocal.

[justgamma]

34. Ok, I agree it's DK's plan or nothing.

I think doing nothing is unacceptable. I just viewed Edwards' plan as second best. I thought maybe he was the only one with a shot at getting in.

I guess we'll just have to work on the Congress some more.

[hootinholler]

37. The bitch is that turd is second best.

Oh, and I agree any president could get single payer by going to the people nad vetoing everything until he gets it.

-Hoot

[Sparkly]

16. I'd love to hear SOMEbody ask Clinton, Edwards, or Obama...

why their plan is preferable to Kucinich's. I've said this over and over!

Why theirs, and not his? That's ALL I want to know!

(My only hunch is they think either "socialized medicine" would scare some people so they'd lose the election, or that they aren't capable of getting support and getting it done and don't want to say "I'm not capable," or that they can't or won't break ties with insurance and pharma companies.)

[Naturyl]

17. Nobody, sadly

This is one of the main reasons we needed Kucinich, but everybody made all sorts of excuses about why we could never have him and now we won't.

And that means we won't have real not-for-profit universal health care. We will not join all other developed nations this time around.

[Lasher]

23. OK Clown Guy, try this on for size.

Charts at the bottom are useful.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/susan-blumenthal/us-presidential-candida_b_55460.html

I think we can put Kucinich at number 1 on the 'sucks the least' scale. The candidate who is closest to him is number 2 but I don't know who that is.

[Stinky The Clown]

27. DK is the only one with a stance that gets us where we need to be

The rest are doing what I said ....... playing around with patches to our shitty system to reduce the more egregious shittiness.

[Lasher]

29. You're right.

Found an analysis:

How the Democratic Frontrunners Compare on Health Care

Conclusion: These Plans Will Not Work! None of these plans will truly provide universal access to care. They do not overcome the very significant deficiencies of private insurance. None assures the American people of comprehensive coverage, none offers a realistic way of containing the rising cost of health care, and all would add additional funds to an already too-costly system.

They are at best a diversion from the direction we should be going, toward the creation of a single national, publicly-funded insurance pool that can provide comprehensive, continuous, cost-effective coverage along with the budgetary tools needed to begin containing costs.

http://www.alternet.org/healthwellness/69595/?page=1

[no name no slogan]

33. No. Everybody is stealing Nixon's plan from 1974

Nixon's plan: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/226/story/22163.html

Which is why I'm supporting Nixon. Why back a pale imitation when you can get behind the original?
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x3888857

[seasat]

35. Richardson has said that he is open to it.

He's said several times that he won't rule it out but hasn't heard a good plan to put it into place. His plan lowers the Medicare age to 55 providing single payer for older folks, gives veterans a card where they can use any health care provider, gives money to poor to buy health insurance, and opens the Federal Employees Health Care program to everyone.

However, his campaign is on life support and will require either a second place or strong third place finish in NH to continue with a long shot. I'm a supporter but I'm also realistic.

[Stinky The Clown]

38. I've heard him talk about this ....... he had some good ideas, but sadly .......

...... just seemed to be floundering about for a single position. That's not a slam, just an observation. I think his heart is in the right place. That's likely also true of all the other Dems.

We just need some BOLD leadership.

[LWolf]

36. None of them besides DK. n/t

[Hippo_Tron]

39. As a more practical alternative I support breaking up the health insurance cartel with anti-trust

That requires no act of congress.

[MadHound]

40. No, DK is once again the only candidate out there who is right on this issue

Much like he is right on virtually all the issues. Which means that of course he is going to get no traction in an election that is dominated by corporate controlled media, corporate money, and corporate controlled candidates.

Don't tell me that you're thinking about supporting Kucinich? I thought that you were solidly in the Clinton camp. If you have seen the light, congratulations and welcome aboard, we need all the help we can get:hi:

[Stinky The Clown]

42. I've never been in the Clinton Camp. Not ever.

I have been staunchly uncommitted. I have absolutely defended Clinton on occasion, but I've also defended all the others. And smacked them all around, too.

[Enrique]

41. Al Gore does

not a candidate, of course, but it's interesting that Gore does.

[RadioactiveCarrot]

43. Frankly, I am really surprised that this thread hasn't dropped yet.

Threads about Dennis seem to disappear mysteriously.
If you're for real universal healthcare, and not half-assed macaroni glue insurance solutions, then I don't understand why folks don't support Kucinich at all.
Not a bit.

[Stinky The Clown]

45. This thread isn't about Dennis. Its about Universal Single Payer Health Care

Dennis favors it. No one else does.

Usually these threads drop because all the Candidate Groupies are forced to remain silent when simple yes/no questions are posed.