2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumThe Disappearance of Hillary Clinton's Healthcare Platform
Combining the election-season writings of our most prolific, liberal-leaning columnists at the New York Times, Huffington Post, Vox, Mother Jones, Politico, The American Prospect, etc. you’ll find dozens of articles critiquing Sanders's single-payer plan. None have mentioned a single Clinton healthcare proposal as a point of comparison - merely that she supports a philosphy of incremental reform.
Take Paul Krugman, a high-profile advocate of Clinton's approach to healthcare reform. Krugman has published two op-eds in the New York Times and five additional blog posts arguing that "[progressives] should seek incremental change on health care... and focus their main efforts on other issues - that is... Bernie Sanders is wrong about this and Hillary Clinton is right." In all seven pieces, Krugman focuses exclusively on Sanders's single-payer proposal and fails to mention even a single Clinton policy.
The disappearance of the Clinton healthcare platform has even been carried out by pollsters. The Kaiser Health Tracking Survey included a bizarre question in its February 2016 poll, which was widely cited in the press. Respondents were asked to pick one of four possible directions for the future of U.S. healthcare. Among the choices were "The U.S. should establish guaranteed universal coverage through a single government plan" and "Lawmakers should build on the existing health care law to improve affordability and access to care." Thirty-three percent of Democrats chose the single-payer option, while fifty-four percent chose the incremental option. The questions were clearly intended as stand-ins for the Sanders and Clinton healthcare proposals, but note that the single-payer option is a policy, whereas the incremental option mentions no actual policies, but asks respondents whether they support the (universally desirable) outcomes of improving affordability and access.
What would happen if the media lifted the curtain on Clinton's healthcare platform and introduced any level of scrutiny to her proposed improvements on the Affordable Care Act? They would find.....
Link: http://www.commondreams.org/views/2016/03/30/disappearance-hillary-clintons-healthcare-platform
The jury is in, the people want single payer healthcare to come to America. The promise pf some "incremental change" and "vague" approaches as proffered by Hillary just don't cut the mustard.
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DanTex
(20,709 posts)And if by "jury" you mean "the voters", then yes, the jury is in, and they have chosen Hillary.
NorthCarolina
(11,197 posts)here's an excerpt you likely missed:
apnu
(8,758 posts)The practice, as its laid out, is vulnerable to corruption and exploitation.
Single payer is the better way, less opportunities for corruption and exploitation, thought they still exist because all governments suffer corruption and exploitation, but at least we'd know where the source is.
But, and America has shown this a few times, Single Payer is a big change all at once. America recoils from such things usually, so small changes leading towards Single Payer is the more practical approach.
NorthCarolina
(11,197 posts)don't be shocked when nothing changes. Incremental change is just an excuse to delay and bury.
yourpaljoey
(2,166 posts)pinebox
(5,761 posts)Supported single payer, now she doesn't. It sounds like every other issue when it comes to Hillary.
Doctor_J
(36,392 posts)Notice that none of them actually take insurance profits out of the equation.
SwampG8r
(10,287 posts)A teacher showed how you can get half way on every step but never get to the goal.
The point of incrementalism is to keep us from actually ever taking a.step that gets us to the goal.
fun n serious
(4,451 posts)Doctor_J
(36,392 posts)Meanwhile things will very likely get much worse under Clinton. I will be casting my vote for the only candidate who will even try to fix the major problems. The implementation of Obamacare has cost me a fortune on my healthcare, and it will get worse if Hillary and Ryan "compromise" on another "incremental step". But that is not why I object to it. I object to it because it locks every American into contributing to the Big Insurance profits, forever. that means we will, in perpetuity, be paying 20% overhead to people who serve no purpose whatsoever. The Heritage Foundation knew this when they wrote it, Newt Gingrinch knew this when he tried to pass it, and President Obama knew this when he signed it.
fun n serious
(4,451 posts)Will you vote the D nominee or write in?
BernieforPres2016
(3,017 posts)<Elsewhere in Obamacare news, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has yet again slashed enrollment projections, downgrading an already-dramatically-reduced figure they produced earlier this year:
The Congressional Budget Office on Thursday slightly lowered its projections for ObamaCare enrollment, trimming its tally by about 1 million people. About 12 million people are now expected to have ObamaCare coverage by the end of 2016, according to the nonpartisan budget office. Just three months ago, the office had predicted that 13 million people would have coverage. The latest enrollment estimate is an even steeper drop from the CBO's estimates from 2015, which predicted 21 million people would have marketplace coverage by this time...It’s the latest sign of struggle for the Obama administration as it looks to boost sign-ups before the president leaves office next year.
As John Sexton notes, one of the reason given for the scaled-back estimate is a drop among enrollees not eligible for taxpayer subsidies. "In other words, CBO lowered the estimate because people who don’t get a subsidy just are not buying Obamacare coverage. Unfortunately, it’s those people who were expected to offset the costs of subsidizing everyone else," he writes.>
From what Bernie said on CNN yesterday, there is likely to be a debate in Brooklyn before the New York primary. I wonder if Chelsea's comment will be brought up and Hillary will be forced to state where she is on healthcare right now. I doubt the moderators will do it. Hopefully Bernie will.
colsohlibgal
(5,275 posts)Our allowing for profit healthcare makes us unique, in a very bad way, from about any non tinhorn nation.
It is just wrong. CEOs making billions while cancer patients go bankrupt while trying to fight that disease. It is immoral, no executives should get wealthy on others suffering.
rgbecker
(4,832 posts)Deal with the GOP and you get crap.
bobbobbins01
(1,681 posts)Its not really a human right if a charge is tacked on.
jwirr
(39,215 posts)was invited to those hearing would probably open eyes.
Cheese Sandwich
(9,086 posts)Obamacare was a step in the right direction but some people think it solved the health care crisis. It certainly did not.
