Today was a great day for blogging. Today there was a lot of material for the Liberal brethren to feel proud about. Good reporters, good journalists, and good Democrats have been pushing back against Republican hypocrisy. They did so with fact based and easy to understand commentary and arguments. These are stories that should be shared widely. These are stories ripe for thinking Republicans as well.
Chris Hayes has a report that needs to be out in wide distribution. He illustrates that Obamacare is no different than what Paul Ryan is proposing for the privatization of Medicare (Ryancare). What is ironic is that while Obamacare is taking the country one step closer to single payer (Medicare for all), Paul Ryan wants to move Medicare to the private sector with ‘strict regulations’. Obamacare is a step forward. Ryancare is a step backward. They would ironically end up in the same place.
Regular readers have been well aware of Paul Ryan’s plan similarity to Obamacare. Unfortunately, very few reports have been done on this in the traditional media at large.
Paul Ryan Supports Obamacare?
Everyone knows all politicians lie and mislead to some extent. It comes with the territory. Republicans ability to do so consistently is better than most. Nothing deters their message. It matters not that people are harmed. It matters not that the country is hurt. It does not matter that the economy is damaged. Ideology reigns. It is for that reason one must get around their spin and get access to their voters.
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Be careful about what your belief that “… Obamacare is taking the country one step closer to single payer (Medicare for all), …”.
Stick to that belief and you might never see universal health care, Improved Medicare for All, in your lifetime, no matter what your current age is. Most Americans don’t have a clue as to what universal health care is, much less what will be the best in the world: U.S. Improved Medicare for All, also called “pure single-payer health care”.
Until tens of millions of them do know what the subject is … in parallel with whatever else occurs … then I suggest that you don’t count on any significant progress.
– Bob the Health and Health Care Advocate
I think you support Medicare for All as well? I would love to hear your thoughts in more detail.
Thanks,
Egberto
Egberto,
I added you to my list of persons to contact
after some final projects are completed in
the coming months … as part of a campaign
to get Improved Medicare for All.
You’re most welcome.
Bob
Excellent.
Can you elaborate a bit? I love the sentiment of your statement, but I (along with, I suspect, many others) aren’t as well-versed on the nuances of your point.
Yes, I’d be glad to elaborate, as you requested. Please give me feedback on how I did, following, and let me know if you have any follow-up questions:
First, thank you Egberto for your full support of H.R. 676, which will provide universal health care, Improved Medicare for All.
PRIMARY RESULTS OF UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE: When the United States implements Improved Medicare for All we will finally join the rest of free-market countries in having universal health care: health care for all. Universal health care, which was implemented in a large majority of other free-market countries between 1883 and 1972 (many decades ago), is a system that has its primary objective as providing health care for EVERYONE in a country (at minimum, the citizens, and typically all legal residents, as defined by the health care law in that country). That objective of covering everyone, not leaving anyone out, helps achieve COST EFFICIENCY. Due to that cost-efficiency, the resulting average cost per person among the other free-market countries is an incredibly low amount of about 40% of what U.S. health care costs are. And Americans (WHEN we get Improved Medicare for All, such as H.R. 676) will be able to get health care with no major medical bills and no medically-related bankruptcies, neither of which occur in other free-market countries.
[Bonuses: other results are better health from excellent health care access and more freedoms for health care and life choices.]
THE NEED FOR COST EFFICIENCY: We need the cost efficiency of universal health care to be able to realize the lower costs for America’s individuals and families … and America overall …… and experience all of the benefits.
OBAMACARE IMPACT:
— Obamacare is not universal health care. One month after the signing of the Affordable Care Act there was a private estimate (McKinsey and Co. 30 to 40 million uninsured) and a government estimate (CMS Auditor: 23.1 million uninsured) made of how many millions of Americans would be expected to be uninsured at the end of the implementation. The estimates (which have not changed significantly by anyone else who has done an estimate) are 23.1 million and 40 million, as just indicated.
— The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) kept all of the bureaucracy that we had in our health care system: 1) government bureaucracy 2) roughly 1300 health insurance companies and 3) the related, associated bureaucracy that feeds off the first two bureaucracies (all 3 lists of bureaucracy are long ones; we have a complex mess).
— Obamacare added more bureaucracy, of which just one example is the health insurance exchanges.
— Since Obamacare is adding bureaucracy instead of subtracting it … and since there will be tens of millions still uninsured, we cannot realistically expect that we will be even one step closer to universal health care / Improved Medicare for All, also called pure single-payer health care.
QUESTION and ANSWER: One step closer to universal health care (Improved Medicare for All, single-payer health care? Answer: no. Why? Because extremely little or none of the bureaucracy was eliminated by Obamacare. Therefore, we cannot and will not have improved cost efficiency.
SITUATION: Due to the tremendous power of the opposition to universal health care I suggest that we cannot realistically expect our country to get universal health care until after tens of millions of U.S. citizens know what it is, expect to get it, and communicate in a very united, very powerful manner to the members of the U.S. Congress. The power of the latter will be greater than the opposition’s media and lobbyists (that is, the power of the opposition’s money). How will it be more powerful? Because the politicians use their incoming monetary support to get votes by the influence of powerful media campaigns that cause is to support them. When the politicians have informed voters who also communicate their input on a given subject in a massive way, then the politicians know that they can get votes by aligning their position (support of universal health care) with the voters. ***
[Background: I have two kinds of experiences in the last few years which convinces me that most Americans do not have any significant appreciation for what universal health care is. My first experience is hearing from others (on national conference calls and during one-on-one conversations) who make statements about their amazement … or at least realization … that so few Americans know what the subject is. My second experience is doing my own work “in the field”. That is, during travels to Texas and back to Michigan … and also to New Mexico, to Tennessee&Missouri and back … I have had many face-to-face one-on-one chats with many Americans. That included MANY states. There was one interaction with one knowledgeable young lady in one state (Texas): that chat occurred within a mile or two of the home of a very dedicated universal health care activist; except for that, literally nobody knew about this topic of getting health care for all Americans.] About a week ago I had a trip to North Carolina and back; nobody with whom I spoke knew anything about this subject.]
– Bob the Health and Health Care Advocate
*** Such a campaign will occur. But it may not be my place to be actively promoting it here and now. Egberto (and others?) can decide on that later. I will let him know when the time comes.
We can and will get the best universal health care in the world:
Improved Medicare for All, such as U.S. House Bill H.R. 676
… especially if we work at it, as implied in my last post.
I have written on H.R. 676 and support it fully.