According to CQ, (no link) Senator Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) is opposed to a national health care plan -- because it would be popular among the American public! (H/T to Steve Benen)
But Nelson sides with opponents, who say a government-run plan would undermine the nation’s existing system of employer-sponsored health insurance.So, let me get this straight. As Nelson says, "the public plan wins the game." What is best for Americans with regard to health care is not as important to Sentator Nelson, as he cares more about what is best for private insurers in America who, by the way, provide the worst health care system in the world. The number one concern of Americans today is not having health care, that and, of course, keeping their jobs -- most of which do not offer health care.
Republicans, insurers and business groups say private insurers could not compete with a government-run plan, which presumably wouldn’t have to spend money on activities such as marketing or developing networks of participating physicians and hospitals. Eventually, opponents say, most consumers would join the public plan, either because its prices are lower or because their employers stop offering insurance.
"At the end of the day, the public plan wins the game," Nelson said. He called the inclusion of a public plan in legislation a "deal-breaker" for him.
I personally have never had insurance, ever. I can't afford it on my own, and I have never worked for a company that provided it. Well, maybe back when I worked for the railroad in the 1970's, I might have had some insurance, but I have always been into homeopathy, and so I rarely would see a traditional or alopathic doctor. Plus, I never get ill enough to see a doctor, and aside from when a car ran over me (did not hit me, it ran over me while I was in the cross-walk) and my leg was broken, I have never needed anything medically that I couldn't afford to pay for myself. (BTW, the driver of the car was well insured, and I received a hefty payout, which I didn't have to share with an attorney since I took care of the matter myself -- but I did have to have surgery and I have a permanent titanium rod in my left leg, from my knee to my ankle).
But, not everyone is as lucky as me, like my daughter and her son. They have insurance provided by the State of California, which is free. In California they have a free prenatal program, and after my grandson was born, we were going to opt into the State funded health insurance for children, which would have cost about $9 a month, but somehow the State enrolled her in MediCal, which gave both her and her son free health insurance. When my daughter was pregnant, she was diagnosed with having the beginning signs of cervical cancer (the HPPV virus was found) but she was unable to do anything about it because she was pregnant. When she gave birth, she had to find a doctor and have surgery to remove part of her cervix. I told her how lucky she was that she was given health insurance by the State, because there was no way either she or I could have afforded the cost of that type of surgery and the follow-up doctor visits required to track the cancer cells and make sure they did not come back.
Even as I type this, I haven't seen a doctor in over 20 years (except for the one I see that prescribes my blood pressure medicine, well, he actually gives me that for free, but I do get a regular script for Valium which keeps me mellow when I have to prepare for trials and other stressful aspects of my job). I know I need to get my eyeglass prescription updated, not to mention new glasses and perhaps contacts again (which I haven't worn in years because I now need to wear either reading glasses or have bifocals). I haven't seen a gyno either (ick, I know you didn't want to know that) in 20 years, mostly because of the cost. Hell, when I broke my front tooth, it took me five years before I finally went to a dentist to have a new crown put in. The first dentist I went to quoted me around $1,200 to replace one fucking tooth. Eventually, my boss found me a friend of his who was a dentist and he put in the new tooth for $700, and my boss paid for half of it -- since he could not afford to give me health care. My boss, by the way, also found my blood pressure doctor, an internist -- both dentist and doctor are Korean, as I work in Koreatown.
I am 57 and really should get check ups and stuff, but it is too expensive, plain and simple. A national health care plan that I could afford would work for me, and I am not alone in this situation.
But Senator Nelson thinks it is more important to keep the private insurance companies happy, those same companies that make it impossible for me to actually afford insurance, and force me to have to seek out individual doctors, dentists and opthamologists on my own and negotiate some type of deal for services.
I tell you, those "centrist" democrats are going to be facing the wrath of their constituents the next round of elections. America has spoken the last few elections, and they have explicitly said "no more" to the corporate hold on this country. Government of the people, for the people, by the people -- not corporations
1 comment:
Well unfortunately Ben's constituents are the people of Nebraska, who are not exactly leftwing and recent polls in the state show 70 percent of people oppose the government running their health care. So if he votes for government health care, then he faces angry voters. Remember, these senators do not answer to the American people at large, they answer to the states where they come.
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