As i watch time and energy being burned up after the Hobby Lobby fiasco I could scream. I have been involved in health care reform since the healthcare workers of Boston held "Health University" in the 1960-70s era. I was a "visiting lecturer" at the Biophysical Lab at Harvard Medical School during that time. My stint there was shortly after Jared Diamond did his.
The idea that health care can be a for profit business and not neglect the people's welfare is insane. The idea that insurance companies will gladly pay out in a fair way is insane. The idea that the huge profits made by drug companies are not creating a medical community based on pushing pills is insane. The list is long and the flaws are so many. Read on below and I'll touch on what I have learned in my more than half a century as a professor in medical schools.
Single-payer health care
Single-payer health insurance collects all medical fees, then pays for all services, through a "single" government (or government-related) source. In wealthy nations, this kind of publicly managed insurance is typically extended to all citizens and legal residents. Examples include the United Kingdom's National Health Service, Australia's Medicare, Canada's Medicare, and Taiwan's National Health Insurance.
The standard usage of the term "single-payer health care" refers to health insurance, as opposed to healthcare delivery, operating as a public service and offered to citizens and legal residents towards providing near-universal or universal health care. The fund can be managed by the government directly or as a publicly owned and regulated agency
I have lived in Israel (1963-1965), France (1974 and 1992) and Germany (1986) and experienced health care that was superb each time. My family and I were covered from the day I arrived on the job. I get rather peeved by people who have the trite answer: "so go live there".
I fought hard to defend Obama's rather inadequate idea for health care and rejoiced when he signed the bill on my birthday even though I knew it was flawed.
The last few years I have watched and felt pain as the squabbles went on over the ACA. So much time and effort wasted because the plan is flawed and because the oligarchy wants to maximize profit at the people's expense.
If we are going to go on fighting let us think about what we are fighting for. Let us make sure it can work and not be constantly victimized by politicians who only serve the profit makers in the ruling oligarchy.
Finally, let us understand what health is all about. It is not the single issue we have let them frame it as. Health includes, air quality, water quality, agriculture, climate, and much much more.