One of Mr Obama's most awaited electoral promise was to fix health care.
Not quite one month after his election, I attended a pharma conference, hosted by Billy Tauzin and Trent Lott. In that room were the largest drug companies as well as some of the best private insurances. The theme of the day was to explore the first steps to block the president's reform.
Without any shame, Republican politicians are trying to block Single Payer solutions under the pretext of "socialism". In fact, these politicians are paid by lobbyists from the health industry, drug companies, private insurances and the AMA to prevent any reduction on their huge profits.
In the US, health care is vastly more costly than in Europe and far less people are covered. Infant mortality is greater in the US. As to quality, patients receive the best care in countries like France (voted best health care in the world by WHO for the 7th year running).
Adversaries of Single payer always mention Britain or Canada to scare voters. You never hear them explain the continental system (Germany, Belgium, France, Holland or Scandinavia). There, the Public System insurance covers care, hospital care, dental, eyes, ambulance, drugs, spa treatment etc. Non citizens and non employed are covered by CMU , Universal Mutual Coverage. Better even, Europeans enjoy this coverage any where in the world.
You can choose your own physician , your own hospital, and doctors earn every bit as much as their US counterparts.
So, Americans are lied to by a group of professionals trying to preserve their profit at the expense of their health. Worse, 47 million Americans do not enjoy any care at all, and those who pay their premium can be denied payment. And they tell you Single Payer would put the Government between you and your health, whereas the current sysytem puts the shareholder between you and your health.
Is single payer too costly? Imagine the savings if you could get rid of drug ads, insurance ads, insurance profits, lobbyists bribes etc. Besides, imagine the bargaining power of Single Payer facing drug manufacturers. And do not think it would kill research. Some of the biggest pharmaceutical companies in the world are in Europe: Novartis (which just found the vaccine against H1N1), Ciba-Geigy, Glaxo Wellcome etc..
So why is Obama backing off Single Payer? Why , after sacrificing many policies in order to win Health Care, is he even taking the so-called Public Plan off the table?
I think we should all write our Congressman in favor of Single Payer.
