Universal Health Care in the US

[gerry]

I first read about Sen. Ron Wyden's Healthy Americans Act from Hal's posts. 

We've got better things to talk about Tim...like you providing the link to Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon's website. He presented his plan for universal health care in the Senate this week and it is a doozy. A must read and a starting point for all of us. I am a computer retard so help an ol' gal out, google Ron Wyden and take it from there. I proclaim from this point forward this thread contains no naysaying!!

Reading through the full text was a bit too much.  But the Cost Coverage Report and Section Snapshots do provide a good overview of the proposal. 

It looks very well thought out and might be a good framework to build on without resorting to a single-payor system.  It does shake up the entire employer-sponsored health insurance paradigm, as well as the Medicaid system, which can be intimidating.  But I think we are at a point now where we cannot ignore this problem and the current status quo is simply no longer sustainable in the long run.  What I like about it, too, is it attempts to address some shortcomings of the Medicare Act of 2003, including allowing Medicare to negotiate fair drug pricing with manufacturers of prescription drugs (something that was specifically disallowed when Medicare Act was passed), it does not ban domestic partner coverage, and it has some incentive for states to address torte reform (limiting frivolous lawsuits).

I hope we can continue to have meaningful discussions toward this worthwhile goal.

[Dachshund]

Gerry thank you so much for checking out Senator Wyden's health care proposal. Hopefully, if and when it is brought to the floor of the Senate it will recieve the national media coverage it deserves. I urge everyone to drop Senator Wyden an email of support.

[Dachshund]

oops wrong thread

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