Dodd Hears Anger, Frustration At Meeting On Health Care -- Courant.com:
"On the first day of a listening tour on health care, an issue pivotal to the new Congress and his own re-election, U.S. Sen. Christopher J. Dodd got an earful Friday.
The first comment came from a furious homeless shelter manager: He and his clients have no coverage, yet insurance giant American International Group got an $85 billion federal loan.
Over 90 minutes, the Democratic senator heard from a string of constituents, who waved their hands, hoping for a chance to describe a struggle to hang onto middle-class lives after losing jobs and affordable health care. A few were angry, others just scared.
On the way out, Dodd embraced one woman who burst into tears as she described losing health coverage for her disabled 2-year-old. Dodd held her until she stopped sobbing."
...
"Dodd said during his introduction that he was seeking reforms that provided universal coverage, cut costs and prevented disease. In an interview later, he made clear another condition:
"Not putting the insurance industry out of business.
" 'I hear people talking about a single-payer plan and the like," Dodd said. "That isn't going to happen. It's going to be a combination of public, private.' "
Unless, as MLK did for LBJ, we make it impossible for them NOT to do it!
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Dodd Hears Anger, Frustration At Meeting On Health Care -- Courant.com
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2 comments:
We've gotta keep hammering away. I truly believe that single payer universal healthcare at the national level is the best solution. I also feel that it won't happen at the national level first. I WANT it to, but I don't think it will. I think that our elected leaders in Washington want to be able to point to a working model of single payer (other than medicare) at the STATE level before they back, en masse', HR676. To that point, there's not even concurrent legislation to HR 676 in the senate. Pennsylvania has legislation in the senate AND house (PA SB 300 / PA HR 1660) that would implement a single payer, universal healthcare system. It would be publicly funded and privately delivered (i.e. paid for through taxes that are lower than average current healthcare costs and delivered privately by physicians, etc- the gov't does not own the providers, as in England - they are still private businesses) More info can be found at http://hfap.camp7.org and www.healthcare4allpa.org. Please visit to learn about how PA is leadign the way in fighting for the Single Payer solution at the state level, which will help to make the case in no uncertain terms for national single payer universal healthcare!
Thanks, Dustin,
While I still think single payer makes the most sense, I've come to believe that we have to work our way to it, using a "social helath insurance" system such as those of Germany or Switzerland first. Look around the blog here and you'll see lots of information about this.
BUT, we do have to keep up the pressure, just as MLK did for LBJ, so that he was eventually empowered by the people to do the right thing!
Also, check here:
http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/blogs/cmhmd/2009/01/chocolate-vanilla-and-the-rock.php
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