Why Are We Beating Up on Single Payer?

[Jefferson23]

Posted on February 5, 2016

By James Kwak

Single-payer health care has emerged as the primary symbol of the differences between Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton. For his supporters, Sanders’s plan is the centerpiece of his vision of a European-style, social-democratic society in which health care is a right that is fully funded by largely progressive taxes. For Clinton supporters, it is the best example of Sanders’s misguided utopianism—a naive plan that has no chance of passage and that would be less effective than incremental improvements to Obamacare.

The Clinton camp has been ecstatic about a critical analysis of Sanders’s plan by Kenneth Thorpe, a health care expert who has supported single payer in the past. Thorpe argues that the plan is underfunded by more than $1 trillion and, if fully funded, would cause most people to pay more for health care than they do today. Thorpe’s analysis was publicized by Dylan Matthews and highlighted by Paul Krugman as further evidence that all the serious people support Clinton. Clinton herself likes to say, “The numbers just don’t add up.”

I have a few points to make about Thorpe’s analysis and what we should take from it. The first, simplest, and most obvious is this: Even if Sanders’s plan has problems, if the goal is single payer, then Sanders is the only choice. We know a Clinton nomination will bring us no closer to single payer. A Sanders nomination will bring it within the spectrum of future possibilities, even if it won’t be passed in the next two years. (Remember Newt Gingrich’s crazy plan to voucherize Medicare in 1995? Well, now it’s not that far from passage.) A Sanders presidency would make it possible to develop a better, more realistic plan; that’s what advocates of single payer should be hoping for.

http://baselinescenario.com/2016/02/05/why-are-we-beating-up-on-single-payer/

[EdwardBernays]

1. I personally agree with this quote

If you don’t start out trying to get universal health care, we know--and our members of Congress know--you’ll never get there. If a Democrat doesn’t stand for universal health care that includes every single American, you can see the consequences of what that will mean.

It is imperative that we have plans that from the very beginning say, “You know what? Everybody has got to be covered.”

The whole idea of universal health care is such a core Democratic principle that I am willing to go to the mat for it. I’ve been there before. I will be there again. I am not giving in; I am not giving up; and I’m not going to start out leaving 15 million Americans out of health care.

- Hillary Clinton


If only that lady was running for President. :/

[Jefferson23]

4. I think they made a political tactical error when they decided to go after Bernie as "unrealistic".

They're all over the place now and back peddling too. Now that Chuck Todd asked
for those transcripts it's been pretty rough for her...I think that will continue.

[EdwardBernays]

6. especially

as she's dug in her heels... the longer she refuses the worse it will get...

[Jefferson23]

9. I agree, I mean it made no sense for her to go down that road..but there she is.

Sanders will rightfully remind people why we don't have it..corporate
interests being the priority, not the American people.

How is a Democrat suppose to deny that? So she ends up lying
that he'll tear down ACA...pathetic bullshit lies.

[djean111]

2. I honestly believe some think that going to Single Payer "dismantles" Obama's legacy,

even though the ACA was supposed to be just what Obama could get at the time. It is like, to me, some are all right with rising premiums and co-pays and out of pockets, and rising drug prices, and millions of still-uninsured - just because Single Payer does away with "Obamacare".

And then, of course, there are those who own stock in the health care industry. Also, some are worried about jobs, but I believe the government will still need lots of people, plus I have not noticed anyone giving a flying fart about Hillary wanting to increase the H-1B visas - guess some jobs are more special than others, eh?

[Jefferson23]

5. Obamacare was better than what we had. Going forward voters should ask themselves, what

were the obstacles to having the public option at the time? Why is it always
so difficult? Look at the NRA too, look at so many policies.

Lobby money.

Always follow the money, tells a story...the rest is noise.

Sanders is sounding the alarm about corruption and our electoral
system. The choice could not be more clear, vote for one who
is compromised by it or vote for the one who has not participated.

If you took the names away and listed each candidate A or B,
it gets even easier to decide which one is for your own best
interest.

If you want a functioning democracy, we're going to have to
fight for it and use the best representative.

[Doctor_J]

15. That has been posted at du, verbatim

The same dim bulbs that told us, "Obamacare is the first step toward single payer" now say that we can't have single payer because it would require undoing Obamacare. New dems are hypocrites

[enid602]

3. Europe

Europe does not have Single Payer. The UK, Spain and Portugal do. Most European countries have insurance mandated health care.

[EdwardBernays]

7. That's not quite true

"Virtually all of Europe has either publicly sponsored and regulated universal health care or publicly provided universal healthcare. "



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_health_coverage_by_country

[Jefferson23]

12. +1. n/t

[Fuddnik]

8. It's what Hillary Miscavige sez to do.

Stop picking on those poor insurance CEO's.

If they don't hold down those $200 million salaries, they can't afford to buy the Congress and the Presidency.

[HassleCat]

10. Because we're Democrats

We hate socialism. We love capitalism. Even better is deregulated capitalism, complete with people dying in grubby, overcrowded public hospitals, or just plain dying. That's who we are. At least, that's who we are since 1980. We used to be different from the Republicans. It seems so long ago,

[Jefferson23]

11. We have a problem, DC. The disturbance Bernie is causing is not going to go away

even if he loses. For our party, they're on notice. I do believe a hefty
percent of Americans are committed to be involved past the voting
booth. Over turn CU, an enormous political feat, but why keep
delaying that fight?

[kacekwl]

13. What if every person of age

paid $1.00-2.00 a week to a single payer fund ? Would this and the funding Bernie proposes be enough to pay for it ? There is a little over 300 million people in the U.S. correct ? Just thinking out loud.

[Nitram]

14. Clinton's election will result in more Americans having affordable health insurance.

Whether or not it is single-payer.