All Roads Lead to Single-Payer

Anyone watching the news today was treated to two views of the healthcare debate. One was the unvarnished version that took place in meetings with Congressmen and Senators around the country. The other was the dog and pony show that took place in a Portsmouth, NH high school gymnasium. Things began early in Portsmouth. The Obama Traveling Medicine Show showed up around 7:00AM with six charter busses of supporters to make sure there was enough supportive yelling, applause and cheers during the President's speech. These supporters were also given most of the forms for asking the President a healthcare question. The press made a big deal about the President's inability to select tough questions from the audience. The President also made a remark about the questions saying he wanted tough ones. Right after that a 13-year old girl asked what the people with "mean" signs had against healthcare for everyone. During his speech, which was really more like a lecture and a sales pitch, he said he did not favor a single-payer plan. Anyone who has listened to him know that is a lie. Like some in the Congress (including Ted Kennedy, Barney Frank, Nancy Pelosi and many others) he knows that single-payer does not have the votes in either the House or the Senate to pass. The current healthcare plan "is the best path to get us to single-payer" according to Barney Frank, a long-time supporter of the Canadian system. So despite his current statements to the contrary this is where he and the Democrats want to take us. With the Presidency and strong majorities in the House and Senate this is their best opportunity to do it. Take a minute and ponder this: we already have several examples of government-run healthcare including Medicare and Medicaid, veteran's hospitals and Indian reservations. It is well-known that those with Medicare must have supplemental plans for things not covered and we have all heard the horror stories of veteran's and Indians. Through the years Medicare has covered less and less and supplemental coverage has cost more and more. Medicare has cut the reimbursement rate, which has resulted in many doctors and hospitals no longer accepting Medicare patients unless they carry supplemental policies. The current plan includes additional cuts in Medicare so it will only become worse. And what is perhaps the most telling of all is that our Congress plans to exclude them selves from the plan they are devising for you. Changing the name of the bill from National Healthcare to Healthcare Reform does not disguise the truth of what the government wants to do. The plan ends with a single-payer government run healthcare system, which history shows will destroy a healthcare system that is the envy of the world. Keep talking America. Let your Representative and Senators know how you feel. Call, write, and attend their town halls if they still have the nerve to have them.