Change We Need – And Can Afford
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Because of the current financial crisis many observers see no point in discussing an expansion of health care coverage this year – either federal or state. Indeed, it is true that the current crisis is adding greatly to our public debt. And it is true that total health costs in the US are already twice as high per person per year as those of any other nation and rising faster. If we were to start paying to insure our 50 million uninsured – plus an estimated 40 million Americans who are under insured – costs would escalate hugely. This would be true with any of the recent proposals for insuring the population – except one.
Believe it or not, there is one proposal, which could cover all Americans for all needed services and save money. And it is now – with funds getting shorter every day – that we must explore that proposal. In truth, we cannot afford not to. Careful studies have shown that national savings would amount to $350 billion per year.
At the national level, this proposal is called Medicare for All, and it is embodied in Congress as Bill HR676. In New York State it is called Single Payer New York and it is one of the options now being studied by the Governor in Albany.
Additional Information: Indy TV #28: Dr. Ted Brown on the Struggle for Universal Health Care in the US | Panelists Discuss Health Care | Rochester Rallies for Single Payer Health Care | "Medicare for ALL!" Single Payer Health Care Speak-Out Reportback