Health Leadership Compares Public Option to Single Payer:

[patrice]

Janet Trautwein of the National Association of Health Underwriters (obviously an unbiased group!) says that government run health programs only save money by price controls. Not true; they also save money on overhead. Medicare overhead is about 5%, and when the “Medicare + Choice” plans that have higher costs because they are administered by insurance companies are excluded, it is less than 2%. Potential savings from a single-payer plan in administrative costs to hospitals, doctors, and insurers would be over $200 billion in not having to bill, re-bill, fight about payments, etc. Unfortunately, only a small portion of these savings would be achieved with a “public option” because providers would have to maintain the whole billing and collecting infrastructure for those who continued with private insurance.

Joshua Freeman, MD

[leftstreet]

1. "public option" is just a way to change the subject from single payer

because providers would have to maintain the whole billing and collecting infrastructure for those who continued with private insurance.

Exactly.

It would be a colossal mess, and they know it.

[patrice]

2. More of their f-ing shell games!!!

One of the BIG old-timers in Kansas politics, Dr. Bill Roy, is supporting Single Payer publicly. There will be a rally on the Capitol steps May 30 from 1-3p. Please pass it on:

NOW IS THE TIME TO GO INTO THE STREETS FOR SINGLE PAYER!!

[snowdays]

3. What is now known as the 'public option'

was a key part of Hillary Clinton's plan during the primaries. (not trying to relive the primaries just making an observation). She has it posted --along with all the money saving calculation on her web site at the time. But I do not know where that information is now.


edit to add as i just thought of something.

One of the things she argued was exactly what the OP is pointing out--Medicare already has the administrative structure in place---that is a tremendous cost savor up front.

[patrice]

4. Further examination of HOW cost efficiences would be achieved in a Public Option vs. Single Payer

are cause for concern:

Cost efficiences in a Public Option will not be high enough to compete with Private for Profit Insurance, because even though there will be other cost efficiencies in a Public Option (and it WILL, btw, be a VERY important question just exactly HOW those other cost efficiencies will be obtained!!!), providers will still have to maintain the costs of administering claims and payments.

Single Payer, with the lowest possible administrative costs, could also provide enough cost efficiencies so as to allow expansion in the types of services provided, including PREVENTITIVE services, and a Public Option without Single Payer, having STILL to compete with Private for Profit Insurance on the SAME playing field will NOT be able to consider exapnsion of services UNLESS Private Insurance does and IF/when Private Insurance does do that, there is ALWAYS the question of HOW(!!!) they are obtaining the cost efficiences in order to expand services covered as long as they are ALSO still carrying the extreme burden of the claims and payments processing mechanisms.

In short:

A Public Option without Single Payer is NO OPTION AT ALL.

[snowdays]

5. I am all for signal payer and VERY perturbe by the WH taking it off the table

via Gibbs in the press conference a while back. Baccus recently said the same (of course he is pushing the Kennedy plan based on the wobbly Mass Health Plan.


I get this via email-updates periodically.


I am also concerned about the recent reconciliation--as I read somewhere that it limits debates to 20 hours??




Washington Postal Workers Endorse HR 676

Two Washington state postal worker union organizations have endorsed HR
676, single payer healthcare legislation introduced by Congressman John
Conyers (D-MI).

In Richland, Washington, the annual convention of the state organization
of the American Postal Workers Union (APWU) endorsed HR 676. The
Washington State APWU convention is the second APWU State organization to
endorse HR 676.

In Seattle, the Greater Seattle Area Local of the APWU has also endorsed
the Conyers legislation and forwarded its resolution to the Martin Luther
King County Labor Council with a request to recommend endorsement of HR
676 to the National AFL-CIO.

David Yao, Vice President of the Greater Seattle Area Local APWU, was
instrumental in presenting both resolutions. The Greater Seattle Area
APWU represents 1,450 postal clerks, truck drivers, vehicle mechanics and
maintenance employees of the Postal Service. #30#

HR 676 would institute a single payer health care system by expanding a
greatly improved Medicare system to everyone residing in the U. S.

HR 676 would cover every person for all necessary medical care including
prescription drugs, hospital, surgical, outpatient services, primary and
preventive care, emergency services, dental, mental health, home health,
physical therapy, rehabilitation (including for substance abuse), vision
care, hearing services including hearing aids, chiropractic, durable
medical equipment, palliative care, and long term care.

HR 676 ends deductibles and co-payments. HR 676 would save hundreds of
billions annually by eliminating the high overhead and profits of the
private health insurance industry and HMOs.

In the current Congress, HR 676 has 75 co-sponsors in addition to Conyers.
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has introduced SB 703, a single payer bill
in the Senate.

HR 676 has been endorsed by 514 union organizations in 49 states including
125 Central Labor Councils and Area Labor Federations and 39 state
AFL-CIO's (KY, PA, CT, OH, DE, ND, WA, SC, WY, VT, FL, WI, WV, SD, NC, MO,
MN, ME, AR, MD-DC, TX, IA, AZ, TN, OR, GA, OK, KS, CO, IN, AL, CA, AK, MI,
MT, NE, NY, NV & MA).

For further information, a list of union endorsers, or a sample
endorsement resolution, contact:

Kay Tillow
All Unions Committee For Single Payer Health Care--HR 676
c/o Nurses Professional Organization (NPO)
1169 Eastern Parkway, Suite 2218
Louisville, KY 40217
[phone]

Email: [e-mail]
http://unionsforsinglepayerHR676.org
04/30/09

[patrice]

6. We MUST go into the Streets over this one! Obama wants to be "the good cop". Okay, so

let's be the bad cop!! and raise (non-violent) F-in' HELL all of the way to Civil Disobedience, if necessary, if they try to rob us of this chance for Universal Healthcare, because there will NEVER be another chance!

[snowdays]

7. I write letters to my congresspersons, call them and get

nothing (they are Democrats who have bought into the 'incremental" approach being put out by the WH).

[Fireweed247]

10. yes!

:applause:

[jocapo]

8. HR 676 has 93(!) co-sponsors

According to it's website:

http://www.hr676.org/

http://www.healthcare-now.org/docs/676s703.pd

[snowdays]

9. You can check if your rep. is a co-sponser HERE>...........If not CALL

http://www.hr676.org/7.html

[snowdays]

11. NY Labor Council Urges AFL-CIO Convention to Endorse HR 676.............

more good news. slowly but surely. Single payer needs to on the agenda.

NY Labor Council Urges AFL-CIO Convention to Endorse HR 676


Unions for Single Payer HR676


show details 12:11 AM (14 hours ago)





NY Labor Council Urges AFL-CIO Convention to Endorse HR 676

The Troy Area Labor Council has submitted a resolution to the AFL-CIO
September Convention, calling for the AFL-CIO to endorse HR 676 and to
lobby against “… any fallback program of mandated insurance or public
option plans which include the wasteful, for-profit insurance industry.”

The Troy Council’s resolution also asks that “the AFL-CIO help organize
and financially support a ‘Healthcare is a Human Right’ Solidarity March
and Rally in Washington, DC.”

The upstate New York labor council has sent copies of its resolution to
all 491 Central labor Councils and Area labor federations requesting “…
that your Labor Council join with us in submitting this or a similar
resolution to this year’s AFL-CIO Convention.”

In the letter, sent to all 491Labor Councils, Mike Keenan, President of
the Troy Council, said: “While the discussion of health care reform goes
on in the White House and in the Congress, unfortunately, what we are
hearing from the media are mostly the voices of the insurance industry and
pharmaceutical lobbies; and misguided politicians who think that the
healthcare crisis can be solved by either taxing healthcare benefits or
mandating that we purchase health insurance.”

The AFL-CIO Convention will meet September 14-17th in Pittsburgh, PA.
Labor Councils are entitled to vote in the convention. One hundred and
twenty-seven Labor Councils have endorsed HR 676, single payer healthcare
legislation introduced by Congressman John Conyers (D-MI) and 75
co-sponsors.

The Troy Council’s letter is at:
http://www.pefencon.info/HR676/TALC_Cover_Letter.pdf

The Troy resolution is at:
http://www.pefencon.info/HR676/Resolution.htm

#30#

HR 676 would institute a single payer health care system by expanding a
greatly improved Medicare system to everyone residing in the U. S.

HR 676 would cover every person for all necessary medical care including
prescription drugs, hospital, surgical, outpatient services, primary and
preventive care, emergency services, dental, mental health, home health,
physical therapy, rehabilitation (including for substance abuse), vision
care, hearing services including hearing aids, chiropractic, durable
medical equipment, palliative care, and long term care.

HR 676 ends deductibles and co-payments. HR 676 would save hundreds of
billions annually by eliminating the high overhead and profits of the
private health insurance industry and HMOs.

In the current Congress, HR 676 has 75 co-sponsors in addition to Conyers.
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has introduced SB 703, a single payer bill
in the Senate.

HR 676 has been endorsed by 514 union organizations in 49 states including
127 Central Labor Councils and Area Labor Federations and 39 state
AFL-CIO's (KY, PA, CT, OH, DE, ND, WA, SC, WY, VT, FL, WI, WV, SD, NC, MO,
MN, ME, AR, MD-DC, TX, IA, AZ, TN, OR, GA, OK, KS, CO, IN, AL, CA, AK, MI,
MT, NE, NY, NV & MA).

For further information, a list of union endorsers, or a sample
endorsement resolution, contact:

Kay Tillow
All Unions Committee For Single Payer Health Care--HR 676
c/o Nurses Professional Organization (NPO)
1169 Eastern Parkway, Suite 2218
Louisville, KY 40217
[phone]
Email: [e-mail]
http://unionsforsinglepayerHR676.org
05/04/09