Free Single Payer Health Care - Ideas for Change in America

What do you think is the most effective way to turn this idea into real policy? Add your suggestions here for how you think we should run an advocacy campaign to advance the idea – including the overall strategy, messaging, targets, and tactics.

Approach this from the standpoint that people reading this forum already agree with you on the importance of the issue, and are asking "What can we do to help make this a reality?"

You can also comment on and rank the suggestions submitted by others.

In Europe many countries have found that it is far more economical to take care of people rather than just letting them get sick and die just because they cannot pay. They also have a lot of practices and meds (censored and often 'criminalized' here) which are more natural, more effective and more economical than our typically torturous allopathic practices that often make the patient sicker than the disease (esp with chemo, radiation, surgery for cancer when the natural cure is right under our noses and has been for thousands of years but is denied us so that Big Pharma can corner the market with obscenely priced Marinol).

Therefore, I recommend that we study other health care systems AND MEDICAL PRACTICES for good ideas to implement into our Medicare/Medicaid system to improve it and that these studies be made publicly available to all who wish to read them.
I also suggest a Properly Publicized NATIONAL poll of the American People on this issue. If we are the majority, then it is only properly democratic to implement our mandate.
RESURRECT DEMOCRACY.

Suggested by Ani L. Schwartz on 02/04/2009 @ 06:33PM PT
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Conservatives put a lot of stock in choice. There are thousands of choices for private insurance. Why isn't there a choice for those of us who prefer a public health care system?

We'd happily become members of a tax pool based on income. THIS choice will keep costs low, assure treatment to all, eliminate the scam of preexisting conditions and show doctors that the government is a trusted payee, as with Medicare.

Suggested by Elaine Corn on 02/04/2009 @ 11:54AM PT
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Support HR676 - Enhanced/Improved Medicare for All - - this legislation is already written and supported by most labor unions in the United States. Why re-invent the wheel? Medicare works and it works well - - it's not perfect, and thus must be improved and enhanced, but it works, and it's single-payer

Suggested by David Curry, PhD, RN on 02/04/2009 @ 07:20AM PT
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Well apparently, the work on number crunching was done and presentation was done at least in California on it just a day ago - here's the study paid for by the CNA:

http://www.calnurses.org/research/pdfs/ihsp_sp_economic_study_2009.pdf

Suggested by Anonyms Wasawoman on 02/01/2009 @ 03:37PM PT
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SUGGESTION RE STRATEGY:
It's not just alignment with this or that group that will get this done, it's a solid economic case that needs to be pitched. Here are my suggestions for doing that:
Contract with a good health care economist to crunch the numbers and put them together into a brief/presentation/pitch and using their data, whoever in congress will be championing this (Daschle or whoever actually does end up getting confirmed - or, though he's not really up for it physically, Kennedy) or whoEVER the senator is who will be leading this... takes those numbers and makes the case as any really really good lawyer can and only can do.
Here are my suggestions re health care economists:
Steffie Woolhandler, MD, MPH (http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/short/349/8/768)
*and I would hold with other activists who see Woolhandler as the better of these people especially since Woolhandler IS an MD however it may be useful to get these 2 together and "host" a conversation between them.
Uwe Reinhardt (http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/21/why-does-us-health-care-cost-so-much-part-ii-indefensible-administrative-costs/?scp=1&sq=November%2021,%202008,%2010:34%20AM&st=Search)

Suggested by Anonyms Wasawoman on 02/01/2009 @ 11:40AM PT
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I'm with Harriet - in order to get this done, we need EVIDENCE-based reasoning. The original idea and Gerald's suggestions (though better) just aren't that tight on the numbers and spend a little more "capital" on emotion. We have an opportunity right now - given the economy, to actually get some traction here and I believe it MUST be made based entirely on numbers and nothing else.
I suggest that the Obama team, when they get over here as they are planning to do in the next week or 2 (per their report this weekend on the site here) and begin porting these winning ideas over into the action plan, they hire the following health care economist to do what California's independent Legislative Analyst did to support California's case for its single payer bill (passed by the legislature and veto'd by the governor) - make the presentation in numbers; not emotion.
Here is the health care economist I nominate to write the "brief": http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/21/why-does-us-health-care-cost-so-much-part-ii-indefensible-administrative-costs/?scp=1&sq=November%2021,%202008,%2010:34%20AM&st=Search

Suggested by Anonyms Wasawoman on 02/01/2009 @ 10:55AM PT
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Let's all lobby together for a "Health Insurance Consumer Bill of Rights". This is vitally important for the, uninsured, self-employed and the individual health insurance policy holders. This will expose the horrendous faults of the current, inhumane, private for-profit health insurance industry.

The "Health Insurance Consumer Bill of Rights" should include:

1) No denying health insurance to an applicant because of pre-existing conditions.
2) Everyone the same age pays the same premium, regardless of health status or pre-existing conditions.
3) No denials of treatment recommended by your doctor. Your insurance company can request a second opinion from another doctor.
4) Your insurance policy can not be canceled as long as you are paying your premiums. (In my policy on the page WHEN YOUR COVERAGE BEGINS AND ENDS it states near the bottom of the page: "If we elect to not renew this policy for a reason other than non-payment of premium, we will send you a notice of the non-renewal 15 days in advance of the date this policy is to terminate." Is this not the same as buying a product, but not getting the product or a refund? I call that stealing which I thought was against the law.)
This is common sense consumer protection that will NOT get passed, BUT will open the minds to the wonderful benefits of the non-profit single payer health insurance program "Americare!" Note: There is one acceptable difference between the single payer plan and the private health insurance bill of rights: FUNDING. With single payer the Americare (Medicare) tax will be 4.75% flat tax, no cap. The more you make, the more you contribute ($20,000 yr x 4.75% = $950 yr, $100,000 yr x 4.75% = $4,750 yr, $2,000,000 yr x 4.75% = $95,000 yr)

More "Rights" suggestions for the "Health Insurance Consumer Bill of Rights" are welcome and encouraged.

Suggested by Gerard Lefevre on 01/31/2009 @ 10:03AM PT
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i'm not personally for socializing many things but i think socalizing medicine would be a great benefit for most all americans.

removing the medical and pharmaceutical industries from corporate hands and putting it under one central government control would lower the cost of medicines and services. mabye this would mean doctors wouldnt make much more than teachers, but then mabye teachers should make more.

really from what i have read the amount of money being paid into the insurance industry alone could totally fund socalized health care, so most people wouldnt even notice the difference and most people presently on some kind of insurance would probably pay less than they are currently. this might not happen immediately but once the system got in place and all the kinks worked out i believe it would be a great benefit for all.

Suggested by Christopher Toon on 01/29/2009 @ 12:28PM PT
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Wellness, not illness...

It is sad to see people jaded by an enterprise system that rewards expensive unnatural solutions, and entangles good natural solutions with poor fad substitutes.

We have the solutions to wellness, if we could only get the right people to think clearly, and educate the people on what it truly means to be healthy...

Suggested by Ralph Benedict on 01/29/2009 @ 10:05AM PT
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How about educating businesses that provide health care insurance as a benefit to their employees to the savings that can be realized with a non-profit single payer health care program. Ask these businesses to endorse HR 676 and lobby congress to enact this important legislation to reduce their overhead so they can compete here, and in the global economy.Former Chrysler Chairman Lee Iacocca said in 2005, “It is a well-known fact that the U.S. automobile industry spends more per car on health care than on steel.” He supports national single payer health care.

Suggested by Gerard Lefevre on 01/28/2009 @ 08:43AM PT
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