Labor Activists Discuss Future of Single-Payer Health Care

http://www.laborradio.org/node/13066

Submitted by Jesse Russell on March 8, 2010 - 5:46am
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Grassroots labor activists from California to Ohio gathered at the Nation Labor College, just outside Washington, D.C., to discuss the next step in the battle for single-payer healthcare.

WIN’s Kate Sheehy reports.

Kate Sheehy reports.

One of the most vocal unions has been the California Nurses Association, along with their umbrella group, National Nurses United. Martha Kuhl, Secretary-Treasurer of NNU, is a pediatrics nurse in Oakland, California. She says that nurses see everyday how lack of healthcare affects people. She says that the success of the campaign lies with unions.

: “Labor has, can historically lead in social movements…we have the money, we have the means, we’ve banded together ourselves already to make change.”

And Kuhl says there is no adequate reform short of a single-payer program.

:“Without that you’re stuck regulating an insurance industry that has shown already that they’re in it for the money and they’re not in it to provide care.”

But Kuhl says the plan for reform will not put people out of work, but create more jobs. She says employees from the insurance sector, for example, would have the opportunity to be re-trained to work in public healthcare.

There isn't a company out there that needs a tax break for an employee that they don't need. We have a HCB that is total crap and seems to be a boon doogle for the Insurance companies. We all need health care and we also need a jobs bill, so let's tie the two together. So, if we offer them Medicare for their employees and future retires, then we have people taking retirement that otherwise would stay because they need the health care and companies saving money directly. How do we pay for it, easy, we offer them Medicare for half of what they are paying now for their companies health insurance and workmens comp. Will the price of half of their old insurance bill cover the cost maybe, maybe it'll be too much and after the first year we can make an adjustment. And it will be voluntary, if you like your insurance companies reaming, then keep it and take your chances when you get sick.
This is the little hole in the dike, because it won't even take a year, all the small businesses will have learned that they can save money with the plan and everyone will want to take advantage of the system.
Then we would have everyone clamoring to get on the system cause it's only fair, if a small business can do it why can't I. Then comes the problem of paying for everyone else. Well after a year we will have a good idea of what it costs per person and can charge people accordingly. Paying for it is the easy part, you won't have to buy health insurance yourself, so part of that money saved can go to your yearly health care bill. The other source of saving for everyone, small and large businesses, and we citizens, ( that should really be used more) is no more liability insurance bills. Look at your car, home or business insurance bill it's right at the top, we won't need it cause if your in a car accident the injuries will be takin care of, you might get your ass sued cause you f'd up but no medical. Hurt on the job, go get fixed up and get yourself back to work.
You say "But Medicare sucks", well I've never heard of anyone being booted from the hospital during their operation while being covered by Medicare and there are no fricking death panels with medicare, like at the insurance companies, yea they actually kill people to make all that money.
You say "What about the poor folk, I don't want to pay for the free loaders?" Well your a selfish piece of tripe, and believe it, your already paying for them, so lets give them preventative medical care instead of paying for them after they are really, really sick. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, anyone remember that old one? If you make less then X a year your covered.

It took 11 years to get the first Medicare bill passed so it could take a while to cover the rest of us. This election they have to understand that if they were not for single payer they will be replaced with someone who is.

Flame on and eat your veggies.