Sanders Amendment to Create a Universal, Single Payer Health Insurance System

[slipslidingaway]

http://pnhp.org/news/2009/december/sanders-amendment-to-create-a-universal-single-payer-health-insurance-system

From the office of Sen. Bernie Sanders

Summary: This amendment would establish a single payer health insurance system that would cover every person legally residing in the United States. The single payer system would be regulated and funded by the federal government through a payroll tax and an income tax, but it would be administered by the states. It would replace the coverage and revenue titles of the current bill, but it would leave in place most of the provisions in the quality, prevention, and workforce titles of the bill. This amendment starts from the premise that health care is a human right, and that every citizen, rich or poor, should have access to health care, just as every citizen has access to the fire department, the police, or public schools.

Why is this Important?

•The United States spends $7,129 per person on health care, which is almost double the amount spent by nearly any other industrialized country. Despite this fact, we still do not insure all of our citizens.
•There are currently 46 million Americans without health insurance, 100 million Americans who cannot access dental care, and 60 million Americans who do not have access to primary care.
•The United States ranks among the lowest of developed countries are far as health outcomes, according to both life expectancy and disease metrics.
•One reason we spend our money so ineffectively is that there is tremendous waste in our system. Healthcare providers spend $210 billion on administrative costs, mostly to deal with insurance paperwork, and the ranks of administrative personnel

......"

[annabanana]

1. I DO so love Sen. Sanders...

He just keeps on doing the best thing for the American people.

[Noseyaboutpollution]

18. I agree

Need more on the job.

[Davis_X_Machina]

2. It'll get 29 votes. n/t

[dana_b]

5. where did you get that number?

sounds generous.

I wish all 60 would support him.

[Davis_X_Machina]

12. I wish I had a pony.

My whip count: King, Kerry, Leahy, Sanders, Dodd, Reed (RI), Whitehouse, Brown, Mikulski, Durbin, Harkin, Feingold, Weyden, Gillibrand, Schumer, Franken, Kaufman, Burris, Shaheen, Lautenberg, Menendez... there'll be a couple more.

[leftstreet]

3. K&R

[endless october]

4. save medicare

enroll everyone who wants in.

[Edweird]

19. The worst part of that is now R's get to 'defend' medicare. Holy crap.

[Sebastian Doyle]

6. Bernie makes me believe in human cloning

if we only had 59 more of him in the Senate.

[AndyA]

7. Sanders must have forgotten how the game is played in Washington.

You only do things for the people when you're up for re-election. And it's not even an election year yet. :shrug:

(Wish we had more like Bernie!)

[Dragonfli]

8. The best direction we could go in IMO. We should have started negotiations with that

and added a socialized hospital system run by the government to whittle down in the negotiations (keeping a few clinics perhaps).

Refusing to give up the single payer aspects no matter what. We not only could we have taken our health-care system out of the hands of gangsters joining the more civilized countries, but would have had the added bonus of being kept in power for generations by a thankful citizenry for having solved one of our nation's greatest problems.

Unfortunately they chose to sell policy to the highest bidder instead. Very short sighted... and purchased so cheaply considering the astronomical mandated profits they will deliver for those contributions/bribes.

I consider their actions to be sociopathic considering the lives it will cost.

nice to see you again:hi:

[slipslidingaway]

11. Now that would have been nice, start to the left of SP, some Dems told the ...

people that SP was a government run HC system, one liberal even said the best comparison for SP was the system in the UK.

:)

As much as I dislike the two tiered system in the UK, maybe that would be the better route for now. Everyone must pay into the national system, but they can also buy private insurance, it is better than what is being proposed now.

Hope all is going well for you...thanks.

:hi:

[slipslidingaway]

9. Please call to support a not for profit system where everyone...

has equal access to care regardless of class, thanks for the replies and recs.

:)

[Ruby the Liberal]

10. Thank you, Bernie. K&R

[lildreamer316]

13. Is there a real chance for this?

I want to hope so..oh god, I want to hope so.
We need this now more than ever.

[Vinca]

14. I regret the day I moved over the border into New Hampshire

and relinquished my vote for Bernie.

[lildreamer316]

15. KICK

[laughingliberal]

16. Big K & R for a man who stands up for the people who elected him.

Rare, indeed, these days. I so appreciate him.

[librechik]

17. At least SOMEBODY in the Senate thinks doing the right thing is more important than winning.

Thanks, Bernie--Wish we had 60 of you!