Obama One-Ups Hillary WIth Universal Health Care and Iraq Phased Re-deployment

[Dems Will Win]

THIS JUST IN:

If nothing else, the last election proved that politics-by-slogan and poll-tested sound bites aren't going to cut it with the American people anymore, and that's why the real test of leadership is not what the President said to Congress last night, but how he works with Congress in the months to come to find real solutions to America's problems.

The good news is that in the halls of Congress and across the nation, there is widespread support from both Democrats and Republicans on how to meet the major challenges facing America.

Most Americans believe that escalation will not bring the war in Iraq to a responsible end, and that's why I've proposed not just a troop cap, but a phased redeployment that will start bringing our troops home.

Most Americans believe that energy independence will come from using more biofuels like ethanol and making cars that actually use less oil, which is why I proposed a bipartisan plan that would raise fuel economy standards for the first time in decades.

Most Americans believe that the biggest domestic challenge facing the country is the high cost of health care, and that's why incremental plans that do nothing to bring down costs or guarantee coverage are simply no longer sufficient. We must pass universal health care for every American.

The American people are looking for something new. They are hungry for a different kind of politics. In the last week, I've been humbled and inspired to see more than 100,000 of you sign up to join our efforts to change the debate in this country, so that we can begin solving our common problems and pursuing our common dreams.

Last night was an evening for rhetoric and promises. But now is the time for action - now is the time to actually get something done. You deserve leadership that's commensurate to the challenges we face in this country, and I look forward to working with all of you to make this happen in the days and months to come.

- Barack Obama

Welcome to the New Progressive Era!

[BayCityProgressive]

1. aLL THE dEMOCRATS

CALL FOR UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE. tHE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS...

[Taverner]

2. Well shit, if Dems can get full healthcare coverage

using a managed plan rather than single payer - then good

Personally I don't see how they can get around it without going single payer - since all roads lead there in the end.

[lancdem]

5. Exactly

[lancdem]

3. Neither Hillary or Obama has put forward any details

There's no one-upping anyone - yet. Let's see what their plans, and others', entail.

[Mass]

4. Every Democrat running for president will offer that.

Are there any specifics on what they mean by Universal Healthcare. Does Obama support Single Healthcare?

[Selatius]

6. If universal health care means we all get Massachusett's health care plan, we're "screwn"

Such a system is no guarantee that it will bring down prices because there is no mechanism that encourages better efficiency. All it does is force more people into a system that is profit driven and paperwork strewn with ad hoc standards depending on the HMO.

Single-payer universal health care is the least costly not only because it means less bureaucracy as opposed to the system Massachusetts sets up but also because it gives the American people collective bargaining power with health insurance companies.

Health insurance companies primary role is to serve the shareholders by generating a profit. They exist, in short, to make a profit, not to serve the public good. When it comes to human life, I feel this should not be allowed because a person's pursuit of happiness should not be impeded simply because a for-profit entity felt that his pursuit can be done without good health.

[jobycom]

7. It's just rhetoric, but what I reallly love about this

is that they are now arguing to see who can be the most liberal.

[Dems Will Win]

8. Exactly, that's my point. They are trying to out-Progressive one another!

Now that's different...

[lancdem]

9. Yes, it's certainly a sea change

And this kind of issue will have broad appeal beyond primary-voting Dems, too. It'll be a central theme in the general election as well.

[antigop]

10. FYI --- Kucinich's plan has been out for some time -- Medicare for All

http://kucinich.house.gov/SpotlightIssues/spotlight2.htm

>>
ver 46 million Americans do not have any health insurance. Tens of millions more have inadequate or incomplete coverage. As the richest country in the world, Congressman Kucinich believes this is simply unacceptable.

Four out of five of the uninsured are in working families. Forty-six percent of all bankruptcies are tied to medical bills piling up due to an illness in the family. Three-quarters of those bankrupted by illness were insured when they first got sick.

Now, more than ever, it is clear that our current health care system does not work.

It is not because we do not pay enough. Rather, we’re not getting what we’re paying for. American taxpayers alone pay almost twice as much per capita in health care costs as taxpayers in countries that provide universal health care. In short, we are already paying for a universal standard of care, we are just not getting it.

That is why Congressman Kucinich has co-authored legislation, with Congressman John Conyers, HR 676, Medicare for All, to provide full health care coverage for every American. It would expand Medicare’s benefits and grant Medicare’s coverage to everyone in our country. This legislation would cover all medically necessary procedures, with no premiums, no co-payments and no deductibles.

Economists have estimated that a Medicare for All system could be paid for simply by reallocating money that is currently in the system. It would eliminate waste and capture dollars from current inefficiencies. In short, patients would get better care and pay less for it.

Congressman Kucinich believes health care should be about patients not profits.

Congressman Kucinich will continue to work on this legislation to ensure everyone can access health coverage, that medical care is of a universally high quality, and patients no longer face financial barriers to getting the care they need.

>>

HR 676 Medicare for All had 78 co-sponsors last session. SEVENTY-EIGHT! What other plan by a Democrat has this many co-sponsors?

[Dems Will Win]

11. THis sounds like a good immediate bandaid

Hopefully Obama and Edwards will steal it...

[Renew Deal]

12. That picture is from Metropolis, Illinois

I was there a couple years ago and got some cool pictures. It's in southern Illinois near the Kentucky border.