Tom Harkin says that Congress should have enacted single payer

[grahamhgreen]

ObamaCare author Tom Harkin: Health law is 'really complicated'

By Alexander Bolton
The Hill, December 3, 2014

Sen. Tom Harkin, one of the co-authors of the Affordable Care Act, now thinks Democrats may have been better off not passing it at all and holding out for a better bill. The Iowa Democrat who chairs the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, laments the complexity of legislation the Senate passed five years ago.
...

“We had the power to do it in a way that would have simplified healthcare, made it more efficient and made it less costly and we didn’t do it,” Harkin told The Hill. “So I look back and say we should have either done it the correct way or not done anything at all.
...

He believes Congress should have enacted “single-payer right from the get-go or at least put a public option would have simplified a lot.” “We had the votes to do that and we blew it,” he said.

Harkin and other liberals are now faced with the bitter irony that the centrists he tried to placate five years ago by crafting a labyrinthine market-based reform are now all out of the Senate.

http://www.pnhp.org/news/2014/december/tom-harkin-says-that-congress-should-have-enacted-single-payer

Well, that's what we've been screaming from the get-go!

Now, let's all get on board with fixing this law (as promised), and moving to single payer!

I want to note:
“We had the votes to do that and we blew it,” he said.
“We had the votes to do that and we blew it,” he said.
“We had the votes to do that and we blew it,” he said.
“We had the votes to do that and we blew it,” he said.
“We had the votes to do that and we blew it,” he said.

[Derek V]

1. Ya THINK???

[2banon]

21. +++++++++!

[Cali_Democrat]

2. Bernie Sanders: Single Payer never had a chance

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025905116

In other words, Tom Harkin is a dissembling blowhard.

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/sanders-single-payer-never-had-a-chance

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) reminded the progressive media gathered on Capitol Hill today that single-payer health care reform was dead before it started in the Senate.

"It would have had 8 or 10 votes and that's it," he said, addressing a topic central in the minds of many who the bloggers and left wing talk show hosts gathered for the 4th annual Senate Democratic Progressive Media Summit in Washington reach everyday.

More:

Sanders said it was still possible for single-payer to come to the U.S. eventually -- but he said the road will not begin in Washington. If a state like California or Vermont ever instituted a single-payer system on its own, Sanders said, it would eventually lead to national adoption of universal coverage.

[grahamhgreen]

5. That's only after Single-Payer advocates were locked out of discussions, and Doctors arrested!!! Had

Obama pushed for SP from the get-go, we would have it now.

Instead he made back room deals with hospitals and drug companies.

[on point]

6. And blocked Single Payer supporters from testifying before congress. The corp fix was in.

[jwirr]

3. Can't remember - did he support that back then?

[2banon]

22. uh.. nope.

but we're just a bunch of "whiners and complainers" saith the party elite. .

[Lex]

4. Uh no. They didn't have the votes.

He can say it as many times as he'd like, but it doesn't make it so.

[grahamhgreen]

7. Disagree. I agree with the Senator:

"He believes Congress should have enacted “single-payer right from the get-go or at least put a public option would have simplified a lot.” “We had the votes to do that and we blew it,” he said. "


Obama shuttered Single-payer in order to close back room deals with hospitals and drug companies, then failed to come up with anything to by off the one vote needed for a public option. Weak sauce for sure.

[Sheepshank]

8. do you have any documentation to support and prove your 2nd paragraph?

there was no 60 solid filibuster proof votes...not all of the DEM Senators were going to vote for it....that is the fact.

[grahamhgreen]

10. I assume you agree we only needed Leibermann? Why didn't he vote for the bill with a public option?

[Sheepshank]

12. figures you'd avoid the actual question at hand

what tangible prrof do you have to support your 2nd paragraph?

Obama shuttered Single-payer in order to close back room deals with hospitals and drug companies, then failed to come up with anything to by off the one vote needed for a public option. Weak sauce for sure.

Everytime there is a discussion of back room deals, I wonder who was there that let it all leak out?

[Andy823]

27. Exactly

There is a whole lot of things being said on DU everyday that is not fact, but just someone make shit up, and when confronted to actually put up or shut up they simply just keep on ignoring those who ask them for some kind of tangible proof of what they are saying.

[grahamhgreen]

29. LOL, I have to work for a living! White House Affirms Deal on Drug Cost

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/06/health/policy/06insure.html

Leaker? The White House.

[JaneQPublic]

9. Here's a "tick-tock" of the ACA debate.

This gives a refresher timeline of events and assorted complications that made a full-scale single-payer program nothing more than a fantasy.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/physiciansfoundation/2014/03/26/a-look-back-at-how-the-president-was-able-to-sign-obamacare-into-law-four-years-ago/

[grahamhgreen]

11. Do we agree that single payer would be better than the ACA?

[Sheepshank]

16. what does that have to do with getting the law passed without the required # of votes?

I also want to end poverty in the USA via elminating and redirecting much of the military spending...what we like and what we get......

[grahamhgreen]

17. I'm trying to find out where you're coming from! Then we can discuss as advocates or adversaries.

[Sheepshank]

19. totally an advocate of single payer.

But unwilling to entertain blame assignment for shit that isn't true.

[grahamhgreen]

26. Great! Know that:

Eight doctors and other advocates of a national single-payer health care system–which would improve and expand Medicare to everyone–were arrested yesterday when they disrupted a Senate committee meeting on health care reform.

The single-payer advocates wanted to know why experts representing their position were being excluded from the roundtable of 15 witnesses speaking before the Senate Finance Committee's roundtable on health reform.

http://labornotes.org/2009/05/single-payer-advocates-have-get-arrested-get-heard

They were also kept out of all White House discussions!

[Octafish]

13. The nurses brought it up at the time.

Zeke somebody didn't like the idea and didn't invite them to the table.

[Iggo]

14. Did he say it back then?

[SoCalDem]

15. Shoulda woulda coulda....didn't

and now we will not have another chance for a long time..

we will probably take back the senate in 16...might keep the wh, but will not have a chance at the house for a very long time..

[grahamhgreen]

18. What? We have a chance now! Pass single payer in Vermont. Meet the R's attempt to repeal ACA with

public option legislation.

Do they EVER worry about their bills not passing????? Why should we.

[Doctor_J]

20. The Republican party would now be on death's doorstep

instead of running the country.

rec

The fix was in before the "debate" even began

BTW ghg, there is already a thread on this, though it's dropped off the greatest page

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025903834

[2banon]

23. Gee, thanks Harkin. Why didn't you?

[jeff47]

24. Harkin's lying

Lieberman said no to single-payer. Lieberman said no to a public option. Heck, Lieberman said no to the Medicare buy-in that Lieberman himself proposed.

So either Harkin can't count to 60, or he believes that Lieberman would have voted for single-payer after explicitly blocking any proposal that resembled single-payer.

And that's one senator. Next we can move on to how Harkin would have gotten Ben Nelson to vote for it. And so on down the list.

[Andy823]

28. Yes he is.

And I can't help but wonder why so many here won't accept that fact. There were never enough votes, yet for some it seems that all they want to do is blame Obama for not getting them a single payer system. It kind of crazy when people just make up shit and ignore the facts.

[Blue_Tires]

25. From the other thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=5904125