"When the government awards a billion dollars in sweetheart mercenary contracts to a wealthy Republican family in Michigan, that’s private enterprise. But when the government helps a struggling middle-class family in Maryland send its children to the doctor, that’s creeping socialism." .... New York Observer Columnist Joe Conason October 11, 2007
Anyone visiting THE COSMIC MESSAGE in October noticed a prevailing theme among our writers identifying the transformation of this country the past 25 years from a caring nation to a deregulated, selfish state for the sake of commerce. Whether the issue was an ungoverned food supply, overzealous local police enforcement or unproductive business management tactics we described for you the negative consequences of the actions taken and how the rest of the world has come to perceive us.
As monumental as these questions are America's health care crisis is preeminent among them because it showcases the same sterile corporate solutions used by our political leaders causing the current instability in the first place ... use of tactical fear combined with unsound market proposals which only enrich the medical industry while guaranteeing nothing to consumers. Aided by an uninquisitive commercial media politicians have been able to confine
the discussion about wellness affordability to antiquated, cryptic declarations reliant on the archaic system utilized now with only aesthetic changes.
An example of how devoid the discourse about the treatment of our ill population has become is the way in which the press stealthily refocused the public's attention from comprehensive answers to the needs of poor children exclusively. Taking its cue from Presidential candidate's
suggestions to reform the system gradually the conversation has shifted to alleviating only one segment of the population instead of addressing the grave threat for-profit healthcare poses to everyone else.
Not surprisingly we've seen this oblique, bait and switch behavior from the media before particularly when enormous corporate gains are at stake. Mushroom clouds over America comes to mind. What differentiates this issue from the war propaganda of the recent past is they're hawking consternation of government imposed insurance and implying socialism won't be far behind.
Just as we witnessed in the prelude to the Iraq invaision, the spectacle of a collective society is raised as a psychological juggernaut to manipulate Americans with. Will the Neo-CONS, centrist vacillators and media alarmists succeed in frightening the public again with a campaign of disinformation concerning our nation's health priorities or an all-inclusive solution emerge to stabilize people's concerns ?
Recent polls indicate Americans want the government to insure their medical destinies. This comes in the wake of 15 disastrous years in which Beltway insiders have allowed a deregulated private system to jeopardize citizen's health. The pay to play scheme has generated obscene earnings for its proponents at the expense of those dependent on it for their well being. Private insurance industry skimping on costs has meant less care, higher deductibles/co-pays and fewer benefits which have devoured the paychecks of working American families while excluding individuals with preexisting conditions, the unemployed or those unable to afford its hideous disarray.
With so much discontent evident over the rising cost of health care, why are we arguing about about funding the SCHIP program when we could be considering an aggregate settlement for everybody ?
A Congressional proposal to eliminate all of the concerns mentioned above was introduced in 2003 and co-authored by Representatives John Conyers (Mich) and Dennis Kucinich (Ohio). Designed as a single payer plan and promoted as Medicare for all, the United States National Health Insurance Act (House Resolution 676) guarantees superior health care to all irrespective of an individual's "employment, income or health care status."
Key features of the plan forbid private insurers "from selling coverage that duplicates the benefits of the USNHI program" and eliminates "co-pays and deductibles" entirely. The extent of medical services would include "primary care, inpatient care, outpatient care, emergency care, prescription drugs, durable medical equipment, hearing services, long term care, mental health services, dentistry, eye care, chiropractic and substance abuse treatment." No restrictions would be placed on a patient's choice of doctors or medical facility.
Critics of single payer universal health care often react to such proposals by countering that it's unaffordable, restricts competition among providers or stifles development of technological innovation. H.R 676 rejects these myths contending the present system is bloated with cost inefficiency which overcharges the consumer for medical services numerous ways ...
"through our paychecks, the prices of goods and services, taxes at all levels of government, and out-of-pocket." The United States National Health Insurance Act does away with this kind of redundant extortion and substitutes a more equitable method of funding which doesn't overburden Americans with financial hardship.
Proposed Funding For USNHI Program
Maintain current federal and state funding for existing health care programs
Establish employer/employee payroll tax of 4.75% (includes present 1.45% Medicare tax)
Establish a 5% health tax on the top 5% of income earners, 10% tax on top 1% of wage earners
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