Moulton dings Dems right out the gate for single-payer health care push

[brooklynite]

Politico

Newly declared presidential candidate Seth Moulton criticized his Democratic competitors Monday for pushing the idea of single-payer health care, citing what he called an imperfect experience at the VA.

“I think I'm the only candidate who actually gets single-payer health care,” the Massachusetts congressman said in an interview on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” He qualified his statement by adding that like his 18 opponents in the 2020 primary, “I think health care is a right. I think every American should have access to good affordable health care.”

But the Iraq veteran said that his experience with single-payer health care made him hesitant to back any plan that would boot Americans off of their private insurance plans.

“I made a commitment to continue getting my own health care at the VA when I was elected to Congress. That's single-payer, and I'll tell you — it's not perfect,” he said. “ So if I'm elected, I'm not going to force you off your private health care plan.”

[RobertDevereaux]

1. Well then, that's an immediate disqualification. n/t

[crazytown]

4. That's the worst statement on Health Care

any Dem has made so far (I think - I haven’t followed them all). Single payer would be the the VA (!)

[brooklynite]

5. Single Payer or nothing?

[still_one]

9. Where have I heard that before? and those who said that at the time looks like that might now

happen since whats-his-name in the WH

[RobertDevereaux]

13. Obviously not. Whoever wins the Democratic primary gets my support in the general.

I simply won't support him in the primary contest.

[hlthe2b]

2. After his attacks on Pelosi and overt accomodation/encouragement of RW policies, I question how he

ever got elected as a Democrat not once, but reelected. His district needs to wake up. At least Tulsi Gabbard has company on the bottom of my pool of Presidential candidates.

[ancianita]

7. Yep, he's right down there.

[MrsCoffee]

17. Yep, I have four who fight each other for bottom spot.

He is one of them.

[yaesu]

3. Polls have shown the VA health experience has the highest rating among all health providers

in the country.

[Wounded Bear]

8. This vet is pretty satisfied...

VA is at least as good as most private providers I've had in my life.

I must say, though, that their co-pays have gone up lately, quite a bit, and it hurts.

[Kurt V.]

10. +1

[Merlot]

6. Apparently he thinks than EVERYONE in the US has a job that offers

them a "private health care plan" and that those people are never in danger of loosing their jobs. And their companies are never going to go out of business or change their insurance provider. He must also think that all insurance covers all illnesses no matter what and never deny reimbursement or decline to cover an incident after the fact.

[David__77]

11. Is it single payer? I thought the medical staff are public employees.

Also, I wonder how he thinks the VA can be improved.

[dsc]

12. they actually refer to private providers as well

My brother and his wife are both veterans and get VA care. Most of it is public employees but not all.

[David__77]

15. Ah ok. I thought they had access to both VA and Tricare.

It’s been a while since I was in the military health care system (as a dependent).

[Hortensis]

14. Ask Jim Webb how running on protecting white men from

too much equality worked for him. A conservative stance on healthcare's just dressing on the big, gut issue Moulton's already staked out.

"We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can't have both." Nancy Pelosi, quoting Louis Brandeis at her swearing in.

[shanny]

16. buh-bye

[Blue_Tires]

18. If we had 5% of the folks clamoring for single payer today

Last edited Mon Apr 22, 2019, 01:14 PM - Edit history (1)

fighting for it 9 years ago when it had a snowball's chance of becoming a reality, we'd be enjoying it this very day (Yes, I *AM* quite pissed off)...

[RobertDevereaux]

19. And justifiably so!

[bdtrppr6]

20. Complete non-starter

The rich members of our society can keep their cadillac plans, but the rest of us need 100% health care available regardless of our monetary status. The fact people suffer due to their bank account is unacceptable.

[MineralMan]

21. Well, he's starting at the bottom of the candidate pile, and will

probably still be down there on March 4, 2020, when the list drastically shortens itself.

With 20+ candidates, many will be falling away by then, if not before. We have an embarrassment of riches with this large group of candidates. Considerable winnowing will be needed.