RC Blog

Health care arrests in support of single-payer plan

posted by Adam Hyla on Friday, October 30 at 4:44pm

I didn’t see a single news item about seven protesters’ civil disobedience Wednesday in the Seattle offices of Regence Blue Shield. But here’s a photo by Real Change contributor Luke McGuff: former School Board member Sally Soriano is led out of the health insurance giant’s downtown lobby that afternoon.

Luke says the demonstrators were taken away, very gently, then released. No arrests were made.

Participant Jim Squires M.D. shared the following with Luke:

“The primary problem is the private health insurance industry being the means by which you access the health care system. This is a totally dysfunctional system that leads to many people not having health insurance, tens of millions underinsured, and medical bankruptcies. It’s also increasingly expensive, and more and more unaffordable for average people. The solution to the health care crisis is really very simple: medicare for all, with a single payer system.”

Seattle United for Single Payer Health Care isn’t getting exactly what it wants, but you can’t discount the power of the federal government effectively negotiating prices with providers.

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Comments

I agree with Dr Norman Oliver who said:

HEALTHCARE IS A HUMAN RIGHT
NOT A COMMODITY TO BE SOLD AT A PROFIT

Take profit out of healthcare and we might be able to catch up with France. They are number 1 in outcomes. The U.S. is number 37. Their cost is half per person what the cost in the U.S. is.

The Single Payer movement is gaining momentum. We will not back off no matter what inadequate bill is passed by the Congress.

melody | submitted on 11/01/2009, 7:13pm

As an advance practice psychiatric nurse and concerned citizen. I was thrilled when Barack Obama became our 44th President. That said, I have been profoundly and utterly disappointed by President Obama’s management of the health care reform debate, from inception to finish. During his campaign, he promised to gather the keys players, the wisdom sources, regarding health care systems in this country to evaluate and assess the options for achieving Universal Health Care in this country. He has flagrantly disregarded that promise and while he and the DNC use the ‘evil health care insurance industry’ as the ‘bad guys’ in their public relations efforts, the reality is that he and his administration have collaborated richly with that entity throughout the past year. Health Care Reform in the form of HR3200 and the Senate comparable birthed of the Baucus’ HELP committee are both shams as they now stand, furthering the strangle hold private insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies already have on this nation.

Linda Rohan, ARNP

Linda Rohan. ARNP | submitted on 11/01/2009, 7:29pm

Hey, Congress!!!  I don’t want to “shop” for health insurance in any kind of “market”!  I want to pay a tax to support a trust fund which pays for care when and if I need it, just like I pay my property tax to support the fire department.  In the event of fire, they send a truck out.  Just the truck and people with the training required to put out the fire.  No more or no less than what I would need in that circumstance.  They don’t care where I work, or even if I’m still in the labor market. No personal responsibility questionnaires to prove that I’ve taught my kids not to play with matches, that I have my wiring up to code, that I don’t store oily rags in the basement and am truly eligible for and deserving of assistance.  And especially no tripling of my property tax just for using the service.

There is not one single logical reason why a heart attack should not be dealt with (and paid for) like putting out a house fire.  The cheapest and most efficient way to pay for health care is to pay for it like we pay for any other public good, like schools, roads, libraries, fire and police protection, or any other part of our society’s infrastructure.

Martha Koester | submitted on 11/01/2009, 10:11pm

“We are not here to cause trouble. We are here because we are in trouble.”
People are losing their health insurance with their jobs. States can’t afford to provide the public health safety net that we increasingly need. We are about to pass legislation that increases the proportion of our health care dollar that goes to insurance company profits, takes money from other vital community needs and will balloon the number of underinsured.—Kathleen Myers.

kathleen myers dds | submitted on 11/03/2009, 4:23pm

I regret this culture that now the patient are treated as a source of revenue of profit generating profit.
Guys Hospitaity is a birth right of a Individual, and for the sake of profit HEALTHCARE can’t play with our rights.
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Shawn matthews
<a herf=“http://auctions.fastrealestate.net” rel=“dofollow”>foreclosed home auctions</a>

shawn matthews | submitted on 11/08/2009, 10:57pm

What will become of those who can’t afford health insurance if the proposed rule to force people to buy becomes law?  There is no reason why there shouldn’t be single-payer insurance for the people.  Healthcare is a right.  Insurance companies have been making money hand over fist for decades and it needs to stop now.  Take the profit out of health care and do a system like the one in UK or Canada or any other civilized nation.  Do it now.  There are people living on the street who can’t even get enough to eat.  Many were downsized and had a mortgage.  Wall Street knowingly defrauded the nation and were bailed out without consequence.  Defense contractors are getting paid handsomely for not even delivering on services they were overpaid to do.  The people should at least get decent health coverage.  The people should not be punished because they can’t pay extortion to greedy CEOs of rip-off insurance companies.  Let the insurance execs find useful work instead of living off of others.  They can sweep the streets or pick up litter with a stick throughout the land.  That’s a lot more useful than their rip-off CEO jobs they currently hold.

Frank | submitted on 11/10/2009, 10:40pm

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