Circular Political Logic Kills People and Single-Payer Reform, So Long as We Allow It

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2013/08/24



On an early morning conference call on Friday, I heard the circular logic being used in high level political circles to effectively block any progress beyond the Affordable Care Act. Many elected officials in the United States are playing political games with next steps for advancing health reform as they either wait to see Obamacare be successful or they pray for it to fail. No surprises in this, eh? DC has come to almost incapacitating halt in terms of meaningful policy and/or law-making in recent years, and this has been well-reported and documented.

In terms of the ability to advance single-payer, improved and expanded Medicare for all reforms, the cycle has gone something like this for the past five or six years (not a comprehensive review):

2008—As the Obama-McCain presidential campaign moves forward, Obama says health care is a right, and McCain says it's not. Obama promises to take action immediately when elected, and also relays rather clearly that single-payer might have been the way to go if "we were starting from scratch." Meanwhile, back in DC, Max Baucus' Senate Finance Committee is already drafting the white paper that will serve as the template for a very insurance-industry-friendly health reform effort.

2009—As promised, Obama launches into the push for health reform, ala a Massachusetts-like, Romneycare model (as drafted by former insurance industry insiders like Liz Fowler and vetted by America's Health Insurance Plans—AHIP—and its spokesperson, Karen Ignagni). In the summer months, the Tea Party folks go insane at Congressional town hall meetings and paint the insurance industry written bill, The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA/Obamacare) as a government takeover of health care. even staunch single-payer advocates in Congress tone down their single-payer advocacy as they help the Dems push the ACA. Many, if not most, promise to get back to single-payer work after the ACA has been passed.