{"id":7401,"date":"2009-09-08T15:37:28","date_gmt":"2009-09-08T22:37:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bradblog.com\/?p=7401"},"modified":"2009-09-09T11:11:36","modified_gmt":"2009-09-09T18:11:36","slug":"kucinich-to-america-single-payer-needs-your-support","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bradblog.com\/?p=7401","title":{"rendered":"Kucinich to U.S.: Single-Payer Needs Your Support"},"content":{"rendered":"

Guest editorial by Ernest A. Canning<\/i><\/p>\n

In “Single-Payer and the ‘Democracy Deficit’<\/a>,” citing empirical studies, polls and the extensive data assembled by Physicians for a National Health Program<\/a>, I argued that the current for-profit health care system is not merely corrupt, irrational and dysfunctional, but deadly; that it pits the obscene profits of a few health insurance company CEOs and their Wall Street investors against the health of our people, whose very lives are treated as nothing more than a commodity. <\/p>\n

In that article, and in subsequent posts, I noted that those who seek to preserve the status quo<\/em> are advocating nothing less than a death sentence for the more than 18,000 Americans who die each year simply because they can’t afford insurance; that countless others die after being denied vital procedures.<\/p>\n

I cited empirical data that demonstrates that so-called hybrid systems, including one with a “public option,” are inordinately expensive as most of the monies find their way into the insurance industry coffers by way of subsidies. Single-payer systems, with administrative costs in the 1% to 2% range, are far more efficient than our multi-payer system where 31% is squandered on for-profit carriers.<\/p>\n

I pointed to the undue influence of corporate campaign contributions which have corrupted the legislative process, where the likes of Senator Max Baucus (D-MT) have worked tirelessly to keep single-payer off-the-table. In yet another piece<\/a>, I noted how wing-nut mobs have provided cover for this betrayal of the American people.<\/p>\n

Well, here’s your chance, America…<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) has asked that you link and sign<\/a> his petition, which reads as follows:<\/p>\n

“A PETITION ESTABLISHING HEALTH CARE AS A CIVIL RIGHT<\/strong><\/p>\n

“Whereas<\/strong>, Universal Health Care was proposed by President Teddy Roosevelt in 1912; and<\/p>\n

“Whereas<\/strong> today, nearly 100 years later, 47 million Americans are uninsured and another 50 million are underinsured bringing great social and economic harm to the American family; and<\/p>\n

“Whereas<\/strong>, HR 676, authored by Congressmen John Conyers and Dennis Kucinich provides for Medicare for All, a universal, single payer, not-for-profit health care system which means the end of premiums, copays and deductibles; and <\/p>\n

“Whereas<\/strong> we are already paying for a universal standard of care but are not getting it because one of every three dollars in the health care system goes to the activities of the for-profit insurance system; and<\/p>\n

“Whereas<\/strong> HR676 firmly establishes health care as a Civil Right, consistent with the Preamble to the Constitution of the United States and Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution which defines a purpose of government “to promote the General Welfare,” now therefore,<\/p>\n

“I HEREBY EXPRESS MY STRONG SUPPORT FOR HR676, SINGLE PAYER HEALTH CARE, AND THE PRINCIPLES OF ECONOMIC JUSTICE FOR WHICH IT STANDS<\/strong>“<\/div>\n

Over the August recess the wing-nuts had their say. Now its our turn.<\/p>\n

===<\/p>\n

Ernest A. Canning has been an active member of the California state bar since 1977. Mr. Canning has received both undergraduate and graduate degrees in political science as well as a juris doctor. He is also a Vietnam vet (4th Infantry, Central Highlands 1968).<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Guest editorial by Ernest A. Canning In “Single-Payer and the ‘Democracy Deficit’,” citing empirical studies, polls and the extensive data assembled by Physicians for a National Health Program, I argued that the current for-profit health care system is not merely corrupt, irrational and dysfunctional, but deadly; that it pits the obscene profits of a few […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":107,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[278,288,211,422,126,198,233],"tags":[],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-7401","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-dennis-kucinich","category-health-care","category-john-conyers","category-max-baucus","category-rights-and-freedoms","category-us-house","category-us-senate"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bradblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7401","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bradblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bradblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bradblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/107"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bradblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7401"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bradblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7401\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bradblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7401"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bradblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7401"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bradblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7401"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bradblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcoauthors&post=7401"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}