10 Excellent Reasons for National Healthcare

Consumer advocate Ralph Nader sent me a compelling letter this morning. He's going to be holding Democrats feet to the fire on their pledge for health care reform.

In our opinion that's a good thing. The time to act on this issue has passed.

Recently, I not only had a medical insurance claim denied, but the provider dropped me completely. As a part-time employee my provider does not offer benefits and I obtained a "worthless" private policy.

Nader says there are no more excuses for Democrats to take action in Congress.

With the Democrats in power in Washington, Nader believes they can pass whatever health care reform they want despite intense lobbying from the health care, insurance and phramaceutical industries. Nader then wants President Barack Obama to sign legislation allowing Americans to get the treatments they need.

Everybody in. Nobody out.

Nader suggests Democrats pass a single payer system:

1. For prevention and treatment.
2. For free choice of doctors and hospitals.
3. No more premiums, deductibles, exclusions, co-pays, in-network, out-of-network rigamarole.
4. No more family medical bankruptcies.
5. No more pay or die.
6. No more pay or become sicker.
7. Single payer is the only system that will work.
8. It's the most efficient.
9. Single payer will cut out literally hundreds of billions in administrative fat, billing fraud and unconscionable profits.
10. These savings will be used instead to insure the 50 million uninsured and the millions more underinsured.

Saving Lives!

More than 21,000 Americans die every year from lack of health insurance.

Really, no matter where you stand on the health insurance issue that's too many people dying for being poor and uncovered. According to recent polls, the majority of the American people want single payer. So do the majority of doctors, nurses, and health economists.

Nader asks:

So, what will the Democrat leadership do?

He suggests, "they will keep single payer off the table because they fear the insurance industry and the pharmaceutical industry - and want their campaign money - more than they fear the American people.

Or as Speaker of the House Pelosi told reporters last week:

Over and over again, we hear single payer, single payer, single payer. Well, it's not going to be a single payer.

Along with Nader, we wonder who Pelosi is speaking for here. Certainly not for the American you are getting sicker and sicker and dying month after month.

Turning Up the Heat.

There is support in Congress for single payer and it appears to gain some traction before being stalled over and over again.

Nader says:

Already, 76 House members support HR 676 - the single payer bill in the House. But the Democratic leadership in Washington has taken single payer off the table. They meet regularly behind closed doors with insurance and drug industry lobbyists - to thwart single payer.

Nader is asking for financial support to help him keep the focus on Single Payer. You can help him with a donation here.

This is Democrat Terry Riley. For years he's helped his wife struggle with medical issues at home. He's also advocated for Bill Richardson's Health Care Solutions program. This year he testified in Santa Fe at the Senate Rules Committee.

When I saw him late last month he told me about his website What If You Knew NM . It's loaded with additional information on the single payer insurance model.

Riley says it time for health care. Not health insurance.

Photo: MG Bralley