Single-Payer Pragmatism

Posted on 06/05/2009 at 1:31 pm by Bob Cesca

I’m very enthusiastic to the point of being obsessive about the Obama administration’s push for a public health insurance option.

That said, I don’t think the radical change embodied in such a proposal has fully sunk in. A public option would be an enormously historic step along the lines of Social Security and Medicare — a step I never thought was possible in my lifetime, considering the magnitude of political influence wielded by the insurance companies. Whenever I think about healthcare reform, in fact, I can’t help but to recall that Bulworth was assassinated because of healthcare. Extreme example, yes, but that’s what pops into my melon.

And knowing the powerful resistance to a public option that we’re sure to see very soon, it’s obvious that a single-payer system, while being the ultimate goal, will quite literally be impossible within our current system.

But Bernie Sanders has introduced a really good compromise. I doubt it will pass, but it’s this kind of pragmatic, incremental approach that will ultimate lead us from the current criminal system, to a public option, to single-payer.

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  • http://tarackian.deviantart.com J M Goddamn Ashby

    Insurance companys have a lot of political influence, but that influence doesn’t hold up to the weight of voters who actually put politicians in office.The politicians that continue to kiss babies while simultaneously stealing their lollipops should be wary.The insurance industry is mostly to blame for the nations healthcare problems and people know it. They don’t need a pundit on TV or politican to tell them this, and they can’t be convinced otherwise, because they see it every single day in their own lives. I dont know anyone who doesn’t have a story of a family member being fucked over by insurance.

  • http://tarackian.deviantart.com J M Goddamn Ashby

    Insurance companys have a lot of political influence, but that influence doesn’t hold up to the weight of voters who actually put politicians in office.The politicians that continue to kiss babies while simultaneously stealing their lollipops should be wary.The insurance industry is mostly to blame for the nations healthcare problems and people know it. They don’t need a pundit on TV or politican to tell them this, and they can’t be convinced otherwise, because they see it every single day in their own lives. I dont know anyone who doesn’t have a story of a family member being fucked over by insurance.

  • Elizabeth

    Bob, don’t say things like that. You are younger than me and I still have hope.

  • Elizabeth

    Bob, don’t say things like that. You are younger than me and I still have hope.

  • Elizabeth

    And another thing…I live in Massachusetts, which has the public/private thing going. Soon after it was implemented, one of my students that works at a hospital was telling me that the hospital was suddenly concerned about customer satisfaction because people now had a choice of providers.Interesting, huh?

  • Elizabeth

    And another thing…I live in Massachusetts, which has the public/private thing going. Soon after it was implemented, one of my students that works at a hospital was telling me that the hospital was suddenly concerned about customer satisfaction because people now had a choice of providers.Interesting, huh?

  • jmy

    Conservative Dems will be the death nail in the pursuit of reform I believe. My major concern coming into this administration was not Republican obstruction, but the unwillingness of Conservative Dems to get off their high horses and do what they know is right. Those insurance companies, those pharmaceutical companies, those banks, they will always make their money, but that should not come at the expense of the public. I wish someone will realize that its all find and dandy to be in the private sector and make massive profits – trust I would love to be making millions – but a lot of this shit is just unfair to the public. You can make your money and kick people in the ass to do it. I rather be a CEO making $250,000 a year, making sure that my employees and the public are benefiting as well, than making millions a year and systematically destroying public interest.

  • jmy

    Conservative Dems will be the death nail in the pursuit of reform I believe. My major concern coming into this administration was not Republican obstruction, but the unwillingness of Conservative Dems to get off their high horses and do what they know is right. Those insurance companies, those pharmaceutical companies, those banks, they will always make their money, but that should not come at the expense of the public. I wish someone will realize that its all find and dandy to be in the private sector and make massive profits – trust I would love to be making millions – but a lot of this shit is just unfair to the public. You can make your money and kick people in the ass to do it. I rather be a CEO making $250,000 a year, making sure that my employees and the public are benefiting as well, than making millions a year and systematically destroying public interest.