LTE - Universal health care makes sense

Winona Daily News - 6.0
Ms. Redig replies to a recent anti-reform LTE.
Thanks Lorraine!

Former Brooklin Couple Applaud Canadian System

The Ellsworth American - Former Brooklin Couple Applaud Canadian System: "incremental systems that have failed in the past is like a train,” Volenik said. “The engineer is driving the health care train, and he stops at each stop and picks up a few more people, maybe children, or a group of low-income people. But he fails to notice that the train is on fire and that people are leaping off in all directions, because the system is ridiculous."

Doctors turn tables by ranking insurers

Doctors turn tables by ranking insurers
Maybe this will help motivate more Doctors to join the movement.

It’s Not Just the Uninsured - New York Times

It’s Not Just the Uninsured - New York Times: "the health insurance crisis that is responsible for so much unnecessary suffering and death in the U.S."
The Sandra Hightower story.

Lobbying Stalls Generic Drug Legislation

The Associated Press: Lobbying Stalls Generic Drug Legislation
We need to make this drug company lobbying illegal.

Socialized Medicine: An urgent hospital visit in China: Not bad at all

Jeremy Breningstall: An urgent hospital visit in China: Not bad at all: "It was a nerve-racking experience, but it cost hundreds of dollars less than it would have to receive equivalent care in Minnesota."

US Among Worst in World for Infant Death

US Among Worst in World for Infant Death: "Doctors and analysts blame broad disparities in access to health care among racial and income groups in the United States."
This reflects our society's tendency to protect what we have and think it is wrong and risky to help those in need. Wish more of us would see that we are only one illness or accident away from being the one in need.
Even big unions can be on the wrong side of this issue in spite of what the majority of members want. Here's a recent summary of what the head of the AFL-CIO actually has to say.
AFL-CIO leadership works to stop rank and file efforts for single payer.

Some Health Care Facts

Recent Letter to the Editor:

Published - Friday, November 09, 2007

Some health care facts

By Craig Brooks | Buffalo City, Wis.

The recent Minnesota Senate Health Care Hearing was well attended and has generated much debate. That debate gets emotional and reminds me of the ones concerning abortion or Iraq. Much of our debate is affected by scare tactics and misinformation. If anyone is interested in looking at facts, here are just a few sources:

Rate of uninsured U.S. residents younger than age 65 has increased to 17.9 percent (Employee Benefit Research Institute, Oct. 5, 2007). Minnesota premiums for private health insurance jumped 7.6 percent, out-of-pocket costs up 15 percent (Minnesota Department of Health, Oct. 4, 2007). More than 98,000 Minnesota adults aged 18 to 24 have no medical coverage (Minnesota Department of Health, June 3, 2007). Health care costs are a larger concern than war in Iraq (American Society for Quality, March 26, 2007) Most Minnesota physicians endorse single-payer universal health care (Univ. of Minnesota School of Public Health, Feb. 12, 2007). Retiree health benefit costs increase 10 percent annually for cities (Moody’s Investor Services, Feb. 1, 2007). High cost of health insurance hinders start-up companies (Health Research & Education Trust, Kaiser Family Foundation, Nov. 30, 2006). More employers reduce or drop retiree health benefits as costs increase (Health Research & Education Trust, Kaiser Family Foundation, Sept. 26, 2006). Most working adults shopping for individual insurance were turned down or found it too costly (Commonwealth Fund, Sept. 14, 2006). Health problems for U.S. workers, families result in $260 billion in lost productivity (Commonwealth Fund, Sept. 1, 2005) Uninsured workers are unlikely to purchase individual health insurance (Congressional Budget Office, Aug. 31, 2005) More then two in five Americans have medical debt, medical bill problems (Commonwealth Fund, Aug. 11, 2005). Brooks is with the Great Northern States Health Care Initiative. ********** (the source of the research list was Lisa Krahn of Mora, MN)

Health Care Excuses - Krugman

Health Care Excuses - New York Times
Paul Krugman's latest -
He still believes single payer is the best way to resolve the problems. But, he is saying maybe we need a stepping stone of universal access to insurance with a Medicare type option which will eventually win out. Wish that was not such a likely scenario. Why can't we just do it and do it right?

Worsening the Odds - New York Times

Worsening the Odds - New York Times: "Lonnie died on March 26 at age 45. The cause of death was cancer, aided and abetted by an absurd, unnecessary and utterly unconscionable absence of health insurance."

Prostates and Prejudices - New York Times

Prostates and Prejudices - New York Times
We all know that politicians can lie and pick and choose what to say that fits their purposes. We know that many try to pretend that single payer universal care is the government taking over our medical care rather than simply changing how the bill is paid. What Krugman points out as well is that the media does not call them on the lies. They focus more on how someone sounds or what they look like. This just means we have more responsibility to be vocal and public in our demands for truth and accountability.