Allen L Roland

The best example of a single pay health system that works, despite constant Republican efforts to undermine it , is Medicare. Medicare for all Americans will put together and stabilize our broken heath care system:

Yesterday was the 44th birthday of Medicare, our popular senior Single Pay health care system ~ which President Lyndon Johnson signed into law on July 30, 1965. At the time, Johnson called the bill "the most revolutionary and most beneficial measure for older Americans since we passed Social Security itself back in 1935." "They will no longer have to suffer from misery and neglect and depend upon their relatives because they themselves cannot afford the cost of modern treatment," Johnson said ~ and he was correct !

The Center For America Progress reports on Medicare's significant success ~ " Since the advent of Medicare, "the health of the elderly population has improved, as measured by both longevity and functional status," said one study published in the journal Health Affairs. In fact, according to the study, "life expectancy at age 65 increased from 14.3 years in 1960 to 17.8 years in 1998 and the chronically disabled elderly population declined from 24.9 percent in 1982 to 21.3 percent in 1994." Leaders of the Commonwealth Fund wrote in May that, "compared to people with private insurance, Medicare enrollees have greater access to care [and] fewer problems with medical bills." The report added that this finding is significant when considering that those Americans on Medicare represent a demographic that is more likely to be in poor health and to have lower incomes. Prior to Medicare, "about one-half of America's seniors did not have hospital insurance," more than 25 percent "were estimated to go without medical care due to cost concerns," and one in three were living in poverty. Today, nearly all seniors have access to affordable health care and only about 14 percent of seniors are below the poverty line."
http://pr.thinkprogress.org/2009/07/pr20090730

As a senior I can speak with authority on Medicare's success after having had a life threatening bout of discitis in 2002 wherein Medicare promptly paid for virtually all of my expenses without a hassle or unnecessary paperwork.

One week ago, we eagerly anticipated a crucial vote on single-payer Medicare for All ( H.R.676 ) in the House Energy & Commerce Committee, sponsored by Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY). But then seven BlueDogs waged a highly-publicized war against a "robust public option" and the vote was delayed for a full week.
We just learned the vote will be today ( Friday ). Based on all of your calls, we have nine single-payer Democrats: Tammy Baldwin, Michael Doyle, Eliot Engel, Anna Eshoo, Gene Green, Edward Markey, Janice Schakowsky, Anthony Weiner, and Peter Welch.

Lean Yes and must be contacted ~
Diana DeGette CO01 202-225-4431
Jane Harman CA36 202-225-8220
Christopher Murphy CT05 202-225-4476
Frank Pallone NJ06 202-225-4671
Bobby Rush IL01 202-225-4372

Five more Democrats are leaning single-payer but still uncommitted. Please call each one and give them one crucial reason to support single-payer from this petition:
http://www.democrats.com/single-payer-petition?cid=ZGVtczY1MzMzZGVtcw==
(Be sure to sign this petition and forward it if you haven't already.)

22,000 Americans now perish each year because they can't get or can't afford medical care, and this year 750,000 personal bankruptcies will be triggered by unpayable medical bills.

As Gary Kamiya writes in Salon ~ " In short, there is absolutely nothing ~ nothing ~ worth defending about America's triple-B -- Byzantine, broken and barbaric ~ healthcare system. It is long past time to junk it and embrace some version of the single-payer model that has been proven to work all over the world. " http://www.salon.com/opinion/kamiya/2009/07/31/obama_healthcare/index.html?source=newsletter

Let's silence the BlueDogs and let the voice of the people be heard ~ Medicare works for seniors and so will Medicare Single Pay for all Americans.

Allen L Roland http://blogs.salon.com/0002255/2009/07/31.html

Freelance Online columnist Allen L Roland is available for comments, interviews and speaking engagements ( allen@allenroland.com )

Allen L Roland is a practicing psychotherapist, author and lecturer who also shares a daily political and social commentary on his weblog and website allenroland.com He also guest hosts a monthly national radio show TRUTHTALK on www.conscioustalk.

Cartoon courtesy of Tom Toles / Washington Post

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Allen Roland’s weblog: http://blogs.salon.com/0002255/
Website: www.allenroland.com
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