[Peace-discuss] Kucinich: Why I Voted NO [on the "Affordable Health Care for America Act]

[Karen Medina]

Kucinich: Why I Voted NO [on the "Affordable Health Care for America Act]
Washington, Nov 7 -

After voting against H.R. 3962 - Affordable Health Care for America
Act, Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) today made the following
statement:

“We have been led to believe that we must make our health care choices
only within the current structure of a predatory, for-profit insurance
system which makes money not providing health care.  We cannot fault
the insurance companies for being what they are.  But we can fault
legislation in which the government incentivizes the perpetuation,
indeed the strengthening, of the for-profit health insurance industry,
the very source of the problem. When health insurance companies deny
care or raise premiums, co-pays and deductibles they are simply trying
to make a profit.  That is our system.

“Clearly, the insurance companies are the problem, not the solution.
They are driving up the cost of health care.  Because their massive
bureaucracy avoids paying bills so effectively, they force hospitals
and doctors to hire their own bureaucracy to fight the insurance
companies to avoid getting stuck with an unfair share of the bills.
The result is that since 1970, the number of physicians has increased
by less than 200% while the number of administrators has increased by
3000%.  It is no wonder that 31 cents of every health care dollar goes
to administrative costs, not toward providing care.  Even those with
insurance are at risk. The single biggest cause of bankruptcies in the
U.S. is health insurance policies that do not cover you when you get
sick.

“But instead of working toward the elimination of for-profit
insurance, H.R. 3962 would put the government in the role of
accelerating the privatization of health care.  In H.R. 3962, the
government is requiring at least 21 million Americans to buy private
health insurance from the very industry that causes costs to be so
high, which will result in at least $70 billion in new annual revenue,
much of which is coming from taxpayers.  This inevitably will lead to
even more costs, more subsidies, and higher profits for insurance
companies — a bailout under a blue cross.

“By incurring only a new requirement to cover pre-existing conditions,
a weakened public option, and a few other important but limited
concessions, the health insurance companies are getting quite a deal.
The Center for American Progress’ blog, Think Progress, states “since
the President signaled that he is backing away from the public option,
health insurance stocks have been on the rise.”  Similarly, healthcare
stocks rallied when Senator Max Baucus introduced a bill without a
public option. Bloomberg reports that Curtis Lane, a prominent health
industry investor, predicted a few weeks ago that “money will start
flowing in again” to health insurance stocks after passage of the
legislation.  Investors.com last month reported that pharmacy benefit
managers share prices are hitting all-time highs, with the only
industry worry that the Administration would reverse its decision not
to negotiate Medicare Part D drug prices, leaving in place a Bush
Administration policy.

“During the debate, when the interests of insurance companies would
have been effectively challenged, that challenge was turned back.  The
“robust public option” which would have offered a modicum of
competition to a monopolistic industry was whittled down from an
initial potential enrollment of 129 million Americans to 6 million.
An amendment which would have protected the rights of states to pursue
single-payer health care was stripped from the bill at the request of
the Administration.  Looking ahead, we cringe at the prospect of even
greater favors for insurance companies.

“Recent rises in unemployment indicate a widening separation between
the finance economy and the real economy.  The finance economy
considers the health of Wall Street, rising corporate profits, and
banks’ hoarding of cash, much of it from taxpayers, as sign of an
economic recovery. However in the real economy -- in which most
Americans live -- the recession is not over.  Rising unemployment,
business failures, bankruptcies and foreclosures are still hammering
Main Street.

“This health care bill continues the redistribution of wealth to Wall
Street at the expense of America’s manufacturing and service economies
which suffer from costs other countries do not have to bear,
especially the cost of health care.   America continues to stand out
among all industrialized nations for its privatized health care
system.  As a result, we are less competitive in steel, automotive,
aerospace and shipping while other countries subsidize their exports
in these areas through socializing the cost of health care.

“Notwithstanding the fate of H.R. 3962, America will someday come to
recognize the broad social and economic benefits of a not-for-profit,
single-payer health care system, which is good for the American people
and good for America’s businesses, with of course the notable
exceptions being insurance and pharmaceuticals.”

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