So I'd like us to push Barack Obama in that direction.
In my opinion, true and lasting healhtcare reform starts with Sen. Obama going further than he already has in terms of his healthcare plans. He needs to do this BEFORE the election, to make the case persuasively. Put it all out front.
To back up -- I think that all of the "major" candidates running in the Democratic primaries had their hearts in the right places. All of them saw the crisis out there, and their plans were an attempt to address the suffering and danger faced by ordinary Americans (a.k.a. "non-rich" Americans) in this "murder by spreadsheet" health care madness, as esteemed dKos healthcare champion nyceve puts it so well.
I started out as a John Edwards supporter, mostly because of his message of economic populism and his firm stance on getting out of Iraq (though his legislative track record was spotty, I overcame my skepticism about him). But even so, I knew that the likely three top candidates -- Edwards, Clinton, and Obama -- were serious about addressing the health care crisis, unlike any Republican in this country.
But I had the same problem with all of three of them: they didn't go far enough. Dennis Kucinch did.
I'd like not to get too far into Democratic primary politics, so I'll say that in my opinion, Kucinich wasn't a viable candidate for a number of reasons. My main reason for not supporting him is that he didn't seem willing or interested in actually doing the arduous work of retail politics and coalition-building necessary to compete on a serious level. He was mostly a media-based candidate. You can disagree with this as strongly as you want, and I won't argue it here. My main reason for bringing him up at all is that in terms of policy, Dennis Kucinich had it right on health care.
What did he get right? It can be summed up very simply:
Medicare for All.
I'm no healthcare expert. In fact, I'm probably in the lower percentiles on this site in terms of policy wonk credentials. There are many, many more knowledgeable people about healthcare on Daily Kos, and I'd love their comments below.
But I do understand something as basic as "Medicare for All."
I think there are some pretty basic choices as to what we do about healthcare in this country at this time:
- Leave things exactly as they are, a.k.a. the Bush / McCain plan. Disastrous. Deadly.
- Work around the edges here and there, with no meaningful results. Also disastrous.
- "Universal care" or something just short of it, depending on your analysis -- I think this fairly describes the current Obama approach, as well as the Edwards and Clinton approaches, even if their details differ. Maybe a significant step in the right direction, but too many wasted resources -- that is, the profit still going to insurance companies.
- Single-payer healthcare. Eliminates the insurance companies and the profit motives. (Though five-star private health insurance could still be available to the wealthy, of course, if they wanted it. ) This is what I think Obama SHOULD be pushing.
- True "socialized medicine." Not only does the government pay, but the government runs the hospitals. (I.e. Great Britain. Correct?
From what I can tell, not as effective as # 4, above. (Though please weigh in down below in comments if you disagree.)
These are way too generalized, and merely reflect my non-wonky understanding. But I think they're accurate in general terms. And if you further accept that Barack Obama is more in the gear of # 3 above, I'd like to see him move to # 4. Which could be framed, again, as: Medicare for All.
From another angle: every citizen deserves the same health care that John McCain and Barack Obama get.
Barack Obama is brilliant at explaining complex issues. He did so regarding economic matters in general yesterday, drawing a sharp contrast with McCain. It was a home run. Given his once-in-a-lifetime political and rhetorical skills, I think Obama could make a great case for single-payer care in the course of this campaign, especially with the McCain-Bush policies as a point of contrast.
I'd love to see Sen. Obama push single-payer care NOW, rather than rely on an incremental approach. People are hurting now, and they get it. They know the bills they've been paying, the care they've been denied. They get it.
Obama has plenty to do when he enters the White House, granted. For example, there's the little matter of a war to stop. But I think the time is right for single-payer care, and he's the man to do it. Bring John and Elizabeth Edwards aboard. (Happy to see that he already seems to have done so, with Elizabeth.) Bring Hillary Clinton aboard. Make the case. We have a good shot at a significant Democratic majority, and if they ride into office on Obama's coattails, he will have political capital (sorry to quote you-know-who) to spend immediately. There will be few better ways to "spend" it than to secure single-payer healthcare, a single-payer care that was explained, campaigned on, and pushed during the campaign against McCain.
So to sum up, here's a plea to my candidate, Sen. Barack Obama, a man I'm VERY proud to support:
Senator Obama, please go further on healthcare. Push for single-payer care during this campaign, and make the case like only you can right now. The country is ready, and you're the one who can get this done, once and for all.
"Medicare for All."
Thank you. We have you back!
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