Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Single Payer health care for all of WHO?

The recent passage of the Federal health care bill is not the wonderful improvement of the country’s health care system that it’s portrayed to be. It’s a tiny concession by the healthcare insurance and pharmaceutical industries. The legislation that was just passed by a thin margin may yet be overturned. Many Senate and Congress members have received “reelection funds” from these industries. Even if recession fails, these small gains will take years to implement.
In contrast to the just passed federal health care bill, the California legislators have passed a single-payer bill three times in recent years. Governor Schwarzenegger vetoed the bill twice. Californians are waiting for the next governor, Mr. Brown, to finally be sign it. California has term limits. That is likely why the industries affected, were unable to prevent its passage. (Thank goodness for term limits.)
The reason California was able to pass the bill three times is the large, very vocal, population in favor of single payer health care. Every major population center in California is represented by chapters of “Health Care for All” (HCA). This organization is the voice of Californians, many of who have been in favor of single payer for years.
The California Physicians Alliance for single payer health care (CaPA) is the voice of more than half of the physicians practicing in California. It’s now a chapter of Physicians for a Nation Health Program (PNHP).
Ninety-five percent of California’s registered nurses are in favor of single-payer health care. Many other health care professionals have added their voices to the drum beat.
People without health care insurance are inundating California’s emergency rooms. Many of these people cannot afford to go to a doctor. Statistics have shown that emergency rooms are the most expensive way to obtain routine medical care. Early, routine medical care minimizes the possibility of an illness progressing to a more serious stage that may require complex treatment or hospitalization.
In our country, many thousands of deaths occur year because of lack of access to medical care. The best and least expensive solution to this dilemma is a single payer health care system.

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