[Peace-discuss] Dennis Kucinich's take on health care bill

Wed Aug 19 13:34:22 CDT 2009

One day longer!

Ricky

"Speak your mind even if your voice shakes." - Maggie Kuhn

--- On Wed, 8/19/09, Robert Naiman <naiman.uiuc at gmail.com> wrote:

From: Robert Naiman <naiman.uiuc at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Peace-discuss] Dennis Kucinich's take on health care bill
To: "Ricky Baldwin" <baldwinricky at yahoo.com>
Cc: "peace discuss" <peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net>
Date: Wednesday, August 19, 2009, 12:30 PM

Brother Dennis is a bit more pragmatic than one might think from the
rhetorical flourish of this note. He is a signatory to the bloc of 60
House Democrats who have pledged to vote no in the House on any health
reform bill that does not include a robust public option. If the bloc
of 60 hold together, the public option is not dead.

On Wed, Aug 19, 2009 at 1:03 PM, Ricky Baldwin<baldwinricky at yahoo.com> wrote:
> Of course as usual Dennis is right about what the health care proposal ought
> to be and what it isn't.  What isn't clear to me what he means we should do
> about it, besides contributing to his campaign - which is of course
> worthwhile.
>
> Ricky
>
> "Speak your mind even if your voice shakes." - Maggie Kuhn
>
> --- On Tue, 8/18/09, Dennis Kucinich <reply at kucinich.us> wrote:
>
> From: Dennis Kucinich <reply at kucinich.us>
> Subject: Health Care Wanted: Dead or Alive
> To: baldwinricky at yahoo.com
> Date: Tuesday, August 18, 2009, 5:03 PM
>
> HEALTH CARE WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE
>
> The masquerade is over! The "public option" is ... dead.
>
> Health care reform is now a private option: WHICH FOR PROFIT INSURANCE
> COMPANY DO YOU WANT? You have to choose. And you have to pay. If you have a
> low income, under HR3200 government will subsidize the private insurance
> companies and you will still have to pay premiums, co-pays and deductibles.
>
> The Administration plan requires that everyone must have health insurance,
> so it is delivering tens of millions of new "customers" to the insurance
> companies. Health care? Not really. Insurance care! Absolutely. Cost
> controls? No chance.
>
> You will next hear talk about "co-ops." The truth is that insurance company
> campaign contributions have co-opted the public interest.
>
> I need your help to spread the word and rally the nation around true health
> care reform which covers everyone and maintains fiscal integrity without
> breaking our nation's bank! Your contribution will empower our efforts to
> continue to fight for the single-payer, not-for-profit health care bill,
> HR676 "Medicare for All," which I co-authored with Rep. John Conyers. The
> bill now has 85 sponsors in the House.
>
> The hotly-debated HR3200, the so-called "health care reform" bill, is
> nothing less than corporate welfare in the guise of social welfare and
> reform. It is a convoluted mess. The real debate which we should be having
> is not occurring.
>
> Removing the "public option" from a public bill paid for by public money is
> not in the public interest. What is left is a "private option" paid for with
> public money. Why should public money be spent on a private option which
> does not guarantee 100% coverage nor have any cost controls? A true public
> option would provide 30% savings immediately which would then cover the
> 1/3rd of the population who presently have no health care.
>
> Unfortunately, under HR3200, the Government is choosing winners and losers
> in the private sector; proposing to spend public funds on subsidizing
> insurance companies who make money not providing health care. This process
> will insure only the expansion of profits. Gone is the debate over cost.
>
> As a result of current negotiations, the Medicare Part D rip-off will
> continue for another decade, further fleecing senior citizens. Drug
> importation has been dropped, so no inexpensive drugs can be accessed from
> other nations.
>
> Instead we are told the pharmaceutical companies will accept a 2% cut in the
> growth rate of their profits - they call this cost control!
>
> If the matter were not so serious, it would be farcical: The executive
> branch pretends that the proposed health care reforms are something they are
> not. The legislation is being attacked for something it is not.
> Congressional leadership and the White House defend the legislation,
> pretending it actually is the very proposal that is being attacked. But it
> is not.
>
> A commonsense government health care reform policy would insure that every
> single American has full access to health care by expanding Medicare to
> cover everyone under a Single Payer System. We are already paying for a
> universal standard of care, it is just we are not getting it.
>
> I need your help to spread the word and rally the nation around true health
> care reform which covers everyone and maintains fiscal integrity without
> subsidizing insurance and pharmaceutical companies and breaking our nation's
> bank!
>
> My voice in Congress will continue to challenge the special interests who do
> not want "single-payer" to succeed. I need you to join me in combating the
> special and corporate interests who spend millions to try to win this
> Congressional seat. With your help WE will win again. With your help I will
> continue to represent your concerns, be YOUR VOICE in the United States
> Congress, and be the voice for health care for all Americans!
>
> Please contribute $25, $50, $100 in support of my campaign. Please
> contribute now.
>
> With your help, we can accomplish ANYTHING in America. Persistence,
> dedication, truth and courage will lead the way and win out in the end.
>
> Thank you.
>
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-- 
Robert Naiman
Just Foreign Policy
www.justforeignpolicy.org
naiman at justforeignpolicy.org

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