Class Action lawsuit needed to make public employee health insurance available to all Americans

[bajamary]

It seems to me that providing one sector of the taxpayer's public employees a low cost single payer medical health insurance, while at the same time not even offering this same single payer health insurance might be unconstitutional.

Are there any legal scholars who agree with this?

If there are, I suggest that there be a Class Action lawsuit to make this public employee health insurance available to all American citizens.

After all, what's good for the goose (the Congress, the President and Executive & Judicial branch etc.) is good for The People who now pay for the Single Payer coverage of the public employees.

[Raskolnik]

1. No, that's not really how it works. n/t

[bajamary]

2. can you elaborate

can you elaborate on this point please?

[Raskolnik]

4. Providing government employees with certain benefits is not denying them to anyone else.

No one has a constitutional right to have the same benefit package as a federal employee.

[Sunnyshine]

7. Why is that acceptable? Benefits for some- but not others is exactly what creates inequality.

I do not agree that we should sit here and take it. Give to this group, and deny to the next?
How that is funded and how it is paid out is very similar to SP. It is cheaper and we desperately need a similar set up.

They are outright denying us the public to have the same opportunity. Hypocrisy stew anyone?

PI is scant care- not health care. It is offensively loaded with fraud and discrimination. Even worse- it is uber expensive. We should have equal access to the same benefits and prices. The plan is there and taxpayers NEED access to same services.

We should demand we be given the option to buy equal coverage. This is one those obvious public rights- the basic need to assure one's health is a given in most highly civilized countries. They are happier and they live longer because they assure common health. This is not about the constitution.

Federal employees enjoy the nicely funded package, but the public has to struggle to survive on PI.

They deserve preferential treatment, while we get differential band-aids.

[Raskolnik]

8. Some benefits packages are better than the feds enjoy, some are not.

Some people make more money than federal employees, some make less.

If the question is whether a type of single-payer healtchcare system is more desirable than our current mess, I believe the answer is yes.

However, some employers providing better benefits packages than others is not discrimination in any meaningful sense.

[Sunnyshine]

9. I meant that Mr. Thurston Howell III and wage earners share a more leveled HCP.

Our fed. gov. should equalize access and cost across the board. They managed to set up sweet as pie plans for their own employees- while at the same time they are denying similar high function plans to the public. Insured against uninsured- as they offer a well funded and streamlined plan that saves everyone money and heart ache, while letting the public struggle w/ fraudulent ins. We deserve a system that is equal in performance, cost, and coverage. Use it as a model to launch single payer.

Thanks for discussion.

[drm604]

3. Interesting post.

But it's not clear about how the current situation is unconstitutional, at least not to me. Can you explain this further?

[OregonBlue]

5. Can't see how that's unconstitutional but forcing me to buy health care, which is what they're

talking about (every one must be covered, everyone must buy insurance) and therefore subsidize the salaries of corporate execs who are paid millions of $ a year is. I have already written to my Senators Wyden and Merkley and make it clear that if they try to force me to pay the salaries of these execs I will fight them all the way to the Supreme Court.

I do not believe that they can REQUIRE me to buy a plan when the provider of that plan has higher administration costs than what a government plan (Medicare, Medicaid, etc.) would cost. I may not be able to afford a private plan, I may CHOOSE not to afford a plan and therefore have no coverage but, I do not believe the can they can FORCE me to pay the salaries of health care executives.

[Sunnyshine]

6. That would require our government to respond to our needs with honest approach.

The obvious example is right there- taking care of our public employees! They have it - we need it. It is that simple. We have had a very similar type of fund with millions enrolled- an example system as SP would require. It's been around a long time and we the public deserve equal access to it. Why not call their bluff on this? Class action may be an option- as it calls attention to the utter injustice of our health care system. It would save the middle class and set us up to have a great 21 Century economy.

knr for bahamary.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

10. It could work if the courts declared a new protected class.

Gay people are a new protected class against hate crimes and marriage discrimination.

If the Fed. cts. say that free public health care is a Constitutional right, under equal protection, then a class action suit could be certified.

[alfredo]

11. I have FEHB coverage. I had a choice between several plans. I went with

the NALC coverage. The NALC is the National Association of Letter Carriers.