The Red and Black

Great column!!!! Couldn't agree more with you bud, thanks for letting everyone at UGA realize the REAL truth.

Thanks for the excellent article.

Wonderful piece! I could not agree with you more. Just look at peachcare, the program which provides healthcare for children...it has almost gone bankrupt multiple times. Yes, in a perfect world universal healthcare sounds great, but it's not practical. Furthermore the comment the writer in yesterday's paper made about only taxing the top 1% really bothered me. The top 1% includes those making over 200,000-250,000. He said that it would only mean one less vacation for the rich. Well, if you're making 8 million then being in the 40 or 50% tax bracket doesn't hurt you so much. However, if you're like my family and make around 300K, being in the 50% tax bracket really hurts you. yes, i realize that 150K is a lot of money but i think it is unfair for the govt to take half of what a family makes to hand out to others through social programs. There has to be a better way.

Medicare is about 5 times more efficient than the most efficient HMO. Technically, any program public or private can go broke, but Medicare is far further from going broke than any private HMO that simply turns down the people who paid it to cover them. That's the facts, and this article plays loose and fast with them.

If there were 300 million people in the private medical insurance market like is stated in the article, then there is no possible way that a government run Medicare program could run as efficiently as the private market would allow. As of right now Zaid's statement is true, but if a program were to be put in place that would force people into the private market and help people to buy a plan then private HMO's would be far better. Instead of sending out checks this summer to "stimulate" the economy the government should send out checks to help people buy their medical insurance. This has been done before with auto insurance and can be done with medical insurance.

This year, along with the OASDI Trustees' Report on Social Security and Medicare, the Trustees kindly appended a message to the public. Here's some of it:

"The financial condition of the Social Security and Medicare programs remains problematic; we believe their currently projected long run growth rates are not sustainable under current financing arrangements... Medicare's financial status is even worse. Medicare's Hospital Insurance (HI) Trust Fund is already expected to pay out more in hospital benefits this year than it receives in taxes and other dedicated revenues. The growing annual deficits in both programs are projected to exhaust HI reserves in 2019 and Social Security reserves in 2041.

...

The drawdown of Social Security and HI Trust Fund reserves and the general revenue transfers into SMI will place mounting pressure on the Federal budget. In fact, this pressure is already evident. For the first time, a "Medicare funding warning" is being triggered, signaling that non-dedicated sources of revenues-primarily general revenues- will soon account for more than 45 percent of Medicare's outlays. By law, this warning requires that the President propose, and the Congress consider, remedial action.

We are increasingly concerned about inaction on the financial challenges facing the Social Security and Medicare programs. The longer we wait to address these challenges, the more limited will be the options available, the greater will be the required adjustments, and the more severe the potential detrimental economic impact on our nation. "

Read more here: http://www.socialsecurity.gov/OACT/TRSUM/trsummary.html
or look up the report.

So to all those who are in favor of universal healthcare, do you still think it is affordable? At this point, is it even worth considering? Our massive non-universal healthcare programs are dragging us down, crippling our economy, and when that happens, who gets hurt the most? Rich or poor?

Bottom Line:

Like all of you. I know that health care is the most critical, and important issue facing the American people. Now, and in the coming elections. And like the vast majority of the American people, I want HR 676 (Medicare For All) passed into law NOW! "Single payer, Tax Supported, Not For Profit, True Universal Health Care" free for all as a right. Like every other developed country in the world has. See: http://www.house.gov/conyers/news_hr676.htm

"HR 676:
For church goers: less money to insur. companies and more to the church- lots more.
Srs on Medicare: save way over $100/wk. Because no more medigap, long term care & dental insur. needed. No more drug bills."

But if we the American people fail to bring enough pressure on our current politicians to get HR 676 passed into law before the elections. We will have to identify, and replace all the politicians standing in the way of passage of HR 676. And, I think the best first place to start is with the politicians that blocked the bipartisan SCHIP bills for the kids. Passed by congress four times.

But what about the President. It was Bush after all that blocked the bipartisan SCHIP bill passed by congress to assure more health coverage for Americas kids. So which of the presidential hopefuls do I think will be most supportive of implementing the demand of the majority of the American people to have HR 676 (Medicare For All) passed into law immediately!

We have some very fine presidential candidates who would make good presidents. But none of the top Presidential candidates directly support HR 676, the only true Universal Health Care plan. So I am supporting Hillary Clinton. She is the only top candidate that has ever actually fought for universal health care before.

I have enormous admiration, and respect for Hillary Clinton. She fought a pitched battle against overwhelming odds back in 1993. To prevent this disastrous health care crisis that is now devastating the American people, and America. She fought so hard for the American people that she risk almost completely destroying her husbands presidency. I haven't forgotten her heroic effort. If any Presidential hopeful for universal health care deserves my support, it's her.

Also, if we the American people fail to bring enough pressure on our government to give us HR 676 which we all so desperately need NOW! Then we will need the most skilled politician we can get on our side to broker the best health care plan for the American people that we can get. Though it will be less than we need, and less than we deserve. The politician I think to best do this is Hillary Clinton. The Clinton's are probably the most skilled politicians in American history.

The insurance industry, and medical industry that has been ripping you off, and killing you has given Hillary Clinton so much money because they fear her. They have also given Barack Obama so much money because they fear Hillary Clinton. They think they can manipulate Barack Obama against the best interest of the American people better than they can manipulate Hillary Clinton. There is no race issue with Hillary Clinton. The Clinton's are the poster family for how African Americans want white people to be towards African Americans.

As always, African Americans are suffering, and dieing in this health care crisis at a much higher rate than any other group in America. The last time there was any significant drop in the African American death rate was when Bill Clinton was president.

My fellow Americans, you are dieing needlessly at an astounding rate. In higher numbers than any other people in the developed world. Rich, and poor a like. Insured, and uninsured. Young, and old. Men, women, children, and babies. And we the American people must stop it. And fix it NOW! Keep Fighting!!! Never! give up hope. There are millions of lives at stake. Bless you all... You are doing great!

great article