[Peace-discuss] Affordable Care Act

[C. G. Estabrook]

How do we make the transition, David?

'Medicare for Some’ was established in 1966 without much disruption of private healthcare insurance companies. In fact, Medicare today is administered by about 30 private insurance companies across the United States. 

Couldn’t 'Medicare for All’ be established in the same way? It would be a matter of nationalizing the insurance companies - like nationalizing the banks (another good idea). Shareholders could be paid off with government bonds (probably not as profitable as their current shares, which is the reason they don’t want to change).

The single payer would be the national government - as in all civilized countries. 


> On Jul 9, 2015, at 9:20 PM, David Johnson <davidjohnson1451 at comcast.net> wrote:
> 
> Your statement about the affordable care act Nancy is EXACTLEY what Obama and the other corporate democrats had hoped for and expected.
>  
> You cannot have Medicare for All by strengthening, subsidizing and  expanding the corporate health insurance market.
> Medicare for all / single payer can ONLY be achieved by ELIMINATING the corporate health insurance industry. Period.
>  
> I am sorry to say and am extremely disappointed that you have fallen for the corporate democratic party propaganda. As long as people believe the LIES about the ACA , in particular that it is somehow a “ step in the right direction “ then there is no compelling reason to make the urgently needed changes that must happen to insure every man woman and child in this country full access to healthcare, like EVERY civilized industrialized country in the world and even some third world countries.
>  
> By throwing a  few crumbs to help a FEW people, does NOTHING for the vast majority who do NOT benefit and in fact are FINED, for being unable or refusing to buy an overpriced inferior corporate product.
> Under the ACA, tens of thousands of unnecessary deaths will continue, the vast majority of bankruptcies, which are due to medical debt will continue, people will be compelled to stay in jobs they hate, medical costs will continue to rise, we will continue to have the highest healthcare costs in the world and be at only 37th in in the world for quality of care and the profit off of other people’s suffering will continue.
>  
> No other country that has single payer achieved it by expanding the corporate insurance industry, they did it by DEMANDING it and FIGHTING for it, And accepting no phony substitute.
>  
> Think about it !
>  
> Sincerely
>  
> David J.
>  
> From: C. G. Estabrook [mailto:carl at newsfromneptune.com] 
> Sent: Wednesday, July 08, 2015 10:24 PM
> To: Nancy Dietrich
> Cc: David Johnson; Ron Szoke; davegreen84 at yahoo.com
> Subject: Re: Affordable Care Act
>  
> About what I tried to say, too.
>  
> But David is right that it was designed to prevent our having a healthcare system like all other developed countries.
>  
>> On Jul 8, 2015, at 9:09 PM, Nancy Dietrich <nancydietrich01 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>  
>> Hi David and all,
>> I feel compelled to write this email as a supporter of the ACA since I didn’t say anything to defend it at tonight’s discussion, as the moment came & went before I was prepared to respond.  
>> Obviously, expanding medicare so it covers everyone would be the best alternative.  And I do agree that the ACA goes too far in supporting the private health insurance market.  It’s not great.  But it has done some positive things, namely giving people with pre-existing conditions the ability to actually switch to a different plan.  I hope that this is just a start, and that it will provide a basis for real reform in the near future.
>> My 2 cents (a little late),
>> Nancy