"Never before have so few with so much promised to take away so much from so many and then laugh their asses off as the so many with so little vote for the so few with so much." A James Pence Quote
"American Politics, a sport for the rich and enslavement for the rest of us." A James Pence Quote
According to a post on Pennsylvania blog, House speaker Nancy Pelosi will allow a mere twenty minutes of debate on single-payer, albeit indirectly.
The debate will actually be on an amendment put forth by Anthony Weiner, Democrat of New York's 9th District, which would effectively transform the corporate giveaway that is HR 3200 into something very close to the single-payer form offered by Dennis Kucinich and John Conyers's HR 676. According to David Swanson, the debate on the Weiner amendment is being used as cover for dropping Kucinich's amendment, which would allow states to create their own single-payer health insurance systems.
This is probably our last, best chance to improve what is shaping up to be a disastrously bad bill that will force Americans into buying unaffordable insurance. Click on the House Telephone Directory link, call as many representatives as you can, and demand that they pass the Weiner amendment. This may be our only shot at getting something that will work for all Americans, instead of simply further enriching Big Insurance.
Nancy Pelosi has the unenviable task of trying to reconcile Blue Dogs with Progressives in the House. This is made harder by the fact that these Blue Dogs seemed to be opposed to any bill that asks the wealthy or businesses, all of whom have walked all over working America the last several decades to sacrifice anything. Meanwhile, Progressives realize it will take sacrifices from these folks to achieve any real reform to healthcare.
With all the arguments over Public Options and Death Panels one solid truth is constantly overlooked. Single-Payer is the best option to fix the healthcare crisis in America. Although it is not the most profitable that is what makes it the best option for the most Americans. That is because private insurance has failed on many levels.
In addition to securing a historic victory for states’ single-payer health care, Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) today won adoption of four other amendments in HR 3200, America’s Affordable Health Choices Act. The Kucinich amendments: • drive down the cost and increase the access of prescription drugs by ending the pharmaceutical industry’s practice of manipulating physician prescribing habits to pharmaceutical representatives; • ending the insurance industry practice of raising costs or decreasing coverage for Americans during the time Americans are not allowed to switch plans; • require the disclosure of insurance company costs like advertising and marketing costs, as well as executive compensation, that use consumer’s money to increase profits instead of covering care; • improve access to integrative medicine by requiring its consideration for standard coverage and by requiring the identification of integrative medicine providers .
“With the addition of this language, this is a stronger bill that will protect Americans and hold health insurance companies accountable to their customers,” said Kucinich.
Kudos to the AMA. We were pretty critical of them earlier this year when it appeared that they might stand in the way of Universal Healthcare. However, today our country's largest organization of doctors came out in support of H.R. 3200, or America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009.
