Then she can negotiate toward the middle to a public option. If she starts negotiating with a public option she won't accomplish anything. Beginning negotiations further to the left is crucial.

... this video gets trotted out, with the caption "Single-payer healthcare will 'never, ever' come to pass - Hillary", when the chyron at the bottom from the actual broadcast says: "Clinton: Sanders' health plan will 'never, ever pass."

Two different things: single-payer healthcare and BERNIE'S plan for single-payer healthcare.

but I agree it won't happen in the next four years. If we want single-payer health care, we need to do the hard work. We have to stop thinking that the president can work miracles. We have to elect progressives from the bottom up, and bombard our representatives with letters about this issue -- for years. We can't expect our president to burn precious political capital on something that has no chance of being approved by the current congress.

supported a single payer/medicare for all universal health plan.

She pushed for a HeritageCare like insurance mandate in the 1990's and that was it.

This is one of the top five reasons why I can't support her in the general if she is the nominee.

Hell, even Trump is calling for a change to the medical system in this country. And it is fucking sad that he is and she is not! Oye!

From what I read, Trump wants to repeal the health care law and allow health insurance to be purchased across state lines, which is pretty much what all the Republican candidates say. Unless the law is replaced with single payer, the only thing accomplished will be the return of preexisting condition denials and lifetime limits. From what I've read, Trump used to want single payer. Unfortunately he changed his mind. Pity, since I agree with him 100% on getting rid of free trade.

which I won't link to here.

It is not single payer but it is no worse than the ACA at this point.

In any case, I don't trust Clinton to ever implement a real change in medical care in this country.

Hillary said single payer was something that will "never, ever" happen in this country. And we should take her at her word, shouldn't we?

person and one person only: Hillary Clinton. She cares about nothing but her own power and her own ambition. She has a long and easily researched past. Thinking you can convince her now and she would stick to it later is Charlie Brown going after the football.

I'd personally prefer a system like Germany's, which ACA pushes us closer to.

To ACA. Really curious....

Last edited Thu Apr 28, 2016, 12:48 AM - Edit history (1)

This was, oddly enough, Baucus's idea in the Senate, though it never went anywhere. I'd love to see that happen. But the basic idea is along ACA's lines: mandate purchase and issuance of private insurance, which then negotiates provider rates.

Anyways, the insurers and the doctors and hospitals negotiate payment rates for the providers, which to me is better than the government doing it because insurers can't be lobbied whereas Congress can. Doctors start at about $55K and except for some high-need specialties max out at about $100K. We actually put the cart before the horse here because Medicare sets a rate that is way too high (see, e.g., this history of the so-called "doctor fix&quot because, again, Congress can be lobbied and doctors, like car dealers, are usually some of the richest people in rural districts and want to stay that way. Private insurers then use this too-high reimbursement rate as a starting point for negotiations with providers, from which payments usually go up (though in some cases down).

The public option actually passed, was in the negotiations right up until the end, and the co-op idea was his best hope of salvaging the whole fiasco. In the end though the co-op idea was him saving face after falling on his sword. The party was heavily divided over that failing. DFA / PCCC went all out, actually going after the dozen or so Democrats that weren't pushing for it.

I know Bernie Sanders is the best candidate. I've wanted him to run for president since the first time I heard him speaking on the Senate floor. Many liberal minded Americans register as Independents because they feel the Democratic Party has moved too far to the right. Unfortunately, closed primaries have greatly hindered Bernie's chances. Unless Bernie wins the nomination as a Democrat or runs as an Independent and wins in November, the best we can do is convince Hillary to support single payer so we can at least end up with a public option.

And if she were president, IMO, the ACA would get even more expensive.

are doctor, nurse and staff salaries, procedure costs, drug costs and medical device costs are all higher. The insurers are responsible for only 10-20% of the markup, the rest of the often than 2 fold or more difference is due to these. Single-payer could bring down costs IF the agency that runs it insists on paying less for everything from doctor's visits to stents for heart attacks. It can be done but will take a lot of determination.

Could it be done without single-payer?-- less likely because all of the clients (insurers and medicare etc) would have to agree to work together to bring down prices.

I would love to hear more about this reality from the candidates.

"How do we convince Hillary Clinton to fight for single payer as hard as Bernie Sanders would if she's going to be the nominee? Any ideas?"

Need to figure out how much the health insurance companies have given her and then take up a fund drive to beat that amount and give it to Bill as a "payment for a speech" or hire Chelsea as a board of director and pay her a salary totaling that amount.

... he should set a progressive example instead of a right wing one

... Sanders supporters seeing the have a true fantasized view of Sanders.

Fact not in dispute - Sanders voted for CFMA
Fact not in dispute - Sanders gets a passing grade from the NRA Clinton does not

by anybody to sound ridiculous. Like many Clinton supporters, you are able to do it all by yourself.

it'll get her votes, but what she does after she has those vote is IMO another matter entirely

help get Senators and Representatives elected to support it. That is where legislation is proposed and passed.

That is why they are in Article I of the constitution and not the executive.

Pockets, I might have a chance.

Who do think she's going to listen to -- the working-class suckers who sent her a few bucks or the corporatists who were dumping six- and seven-figure sums into her money-laundering scheme -- I mean "foundation?"

She has already said that it cannot be done. What amazes me is that she been advocating for health care reform and never got it done in 25 years, you really think she will be pushing for it now! Hell no, she just wants to get elected as President of the US, that is her goal.

If you can't do that, you can't make this happen.

Its that simple.

And neither Hillary nor Bernie would be able to "force it".

That today many of us have workplace plans that are worse? I wish I could get Obamacare....I pay 500 a month for two adults and one college age kids. We have a 6000 dollar deductible before, the insurance pays for anything. We have 8000 out of pocket. Last year, our older girl who was still covered broke both her ankles and the younger one had a severe thyroid illness. We have spent close to 10,000 on medical last year; not everything was covered...16,000 if you count the premiums. This is a private work plan. I would love single payer...but with a House in GOP hands it won't happen...Obamacare was the best we could in 09 and still is the best we can do now. You want single payer...work in off-year elections and take congress. It can not happen until then...and talk is cheap. Bernie must know he could not do it now.

If you manage to get single-payer passed, how many insurance companies will donate to your next campaign?