Blast from the Past (2003) Americans support single-payer by 2-to-1 Margin...

[rucky]

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/living/US/healthcare031020_poll.html#

Health Care Pains
Growing Health Care Concerns Fuel Cautious Support for Change

Analysis
By Gary Langer


Oct. 20— Americans express broad, and in some cases growing, discontent with the U.S. health care system, based on its costs, structure and direction alike — fueling cautious support for a government-run, taxpayer-funded universal health system modeled on Medicare.
In an extensive ABCNEWS/Washington Post poll, Americans by a 2-1 margin, 62-32 percent, prefer a universal health insurance program over the current employer-based system. That support, however, is conditional: It falls to fewer than four in 10 if it means a limited choice of doctors, or waiting lists for non-emergency treatments.

Support for change is based largely on unease with the current system's costs. Seventy-eight percent are dissatisfied with the cost of the nation's health care system, including 54 percent "very" dissatisfied.

Indeed, most Americans, or 54 percent, are now dissatisfied with the overall quality of health care in the United States — the first majority in three polls since 1993, and up 10 points since 2000.

[BeFree]

1. That is why...

...we need this bill passed. Hang up your spurs, you anti-bill folks, and get the hell out of the way. The people want HCR, lets get it going.

[Name removed]

2. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Edweird]

4. Hm, people want single payer, so we should pass a bill that's pretty much the opposite?

What?

[BeFree]

5. To get there from here....

....we have to take the first step. Until now there has been NO first step.
The pubbies fear that first step being taken because they know that pretty soon we'll be running.

Look, I'm not happy with the present situation, the only ones who are are Joe and the pubbies. Practically speaking, we are at a threshold and we need to cross the damn thing for the first time ever.

Lets not leave the bride outside just because she is a little ugly.

[Edweird]

6. Uh, moving in the wrong direction is not an improvement.

Single payer = no insurance companies.
This bill = wealthier and more powerful insurance companies.

We need to go "<----" this way. Instead things are going "---->" that way. Got it?

It is not a "first step". It is a screwjob.

While it is possible, geographically, to leave Seattle heading west and eventually end up in New York, I'm pretty sure that doesn't transfer to politics.

[BeFree]

7. Well

You have your opinion.

But you are in a minority. And especially a teeny, tiny, microscopic minority when it comes to people who have been working on this for years. Sure, Obama screwed up. So did Clinton. So did Ted Kennedy.

I'm gonna go with the real dem congress folks who have to pass this bill, and then work hard to get rid of the pubbies that are against the bill being passed. That's politics.

[Edweird]

8. What part of "single payer by 2-1 margin" is confusing you?

If that seems like a "teeny tiny microscopic minority" then you're looking through the wrong end of your binoculars.

[BeFree]

9. So

Your plan is?

[Edweird]

17. Put this wretched travesty out of its misery.

Wait until we have actual representation instead of the corporate sponsored hatchet men we have now.

Get Single Payer. Real single payer, not that $400/mo buy in bullshit.

Make the wealthy pay their fair share and end the pointless and counterproductive wars.
There won't be any need for cuts in services.

Remember NAFTA? It passed because "we can always go back and fix it". Remember Obama campaigning on revisiting it? What do we have now? Pacific Rim free trade. Oh and "NAFTA who?"

Make no mistake. This bill is as good as it's going to get, and it won't stay this 'good' for long.

As bad as things are, they can always be worse. Institutionalizing the very entities that make our "healthcare" system barbaric and the laughingstock of the civilized world - is worse. Way worse.

The real first step, IMHO, is campaign finance reform. Remove lobbyists and corporations from the equation. It won't stop people from being elitist pricks, but at least pharma won't have their ear.

In the meantime, primary the living shit out of every DLC'er in sight.

[Zodiak]

10. +1

God, that was a good post!

[slipslidingaway]

12. Exactly! n/t

[slipslidingaway]

15. If the Republicans had proposed the Insurance Industry Bailout Bill most ...

people on DU would be calling it what it is instead of making excuses.

[Edweird]

3. Yep.

[slipslidingaway]

11. knr - instead we are helping the insurance companies who have seen decreased

customers and they know that will continue to happen when Medicare enrollment goes from 46 million to 79 million.

They cannot afford to lose those customers, the baby boomers to Medicare and need new customers. That is why they backed HC reform with TV ads and worked behind the scenes to make the bill weaker.

Insurance company bailout bill.

[BeFree]

14. Interesting

I have heard this before. Are you saying it is a conspiracy to bailout the Insurance companies?

[slipslidingaway]

16. No conspiracy, enrollment is dropping due to prices, boomers start retiring ...

in 2 years and the insurance industry will lose even more customers.

We are handing them customers and using tax payer money - sounds like a bailout to me.

:shrug:

What do they do to enhance HC - nothing.

[Edweird]

18. Also, insurance is typically tied to employment - and that's not doing so hot right now.

[slipslidingaway]

19. Thanks for adding that contributing factor! n/t

[Zodiak]

13. Yep yep

:)

Single payer.

Not "be forced into a dysfunctional system and made to be middle men to hand government cash to their new corporate overlords"

I wonder what is so confusing to the Democrats about this?

[eridani]

20. There is no other system that gives you a choice of doctors BUT single payer

Employers changing insurers and insurers changing their preferred provider lists mean that they essentially dictate your choice of doctor. This is no big deal if you are new in town, but disrupting established relationships really sucks.

[Unvanguard]

21. Yeah, see how long that lasts in the face of Republican campaigning.

Most of the public supports, in abstract, the major provisions of this bill, too.