What we really need to do is get the insurance companies out of the health care profit making business. We need health care NOT health insurance. Please ask the American people what they want.

I have been on two sides of the insurance companies. I have worked at hospitals where we spent hours and hours trying to get approval for care while patients wait for their "emergency" care. I have had to turn patients away because their insurance company refuses to approve the health care that the doctors state the patient needs.

I have also been a patient. Of course, my insurance company was fine- until I needed care! Aetna happily accepted premiums for years, then refused to pay for the surgery I desperately needed. Insurance companies prey upon the weak and the ill, knowing that people cannot very well fight back from a hospital bed. That is the worst kind of thievery.

We cannot afford the additional 30% that it is costing our nation to fund the profits of these thieving insurance companies. Those that inform themselves on this issue know that a single payer system will save money, improve care and create jobs. Instead of more of the same politics, tinkering around with a system that is unsupportable, we need vision and real leadership.

I was only an infant when former President Kennedy inspired the nation with a seemingly impossible goal- to reach the moon by the end of the decade. I have only heard of that kind of leadership; I have yet to experience having a president like that. We need that kind of leadership right now.

We have the benefit of being able to evaluate and learn from all of the other countries that are way ahead of us in providing health care of our citizens. We can see what has worked well, and put together the programs we need to build the very best health care system in the world.

It all starts with a leader that has the strength and integrity to stand up for the single payer system that Americans need and deserve. A leader that can change the course of American history and forever improve the lives of the citizens.

So, President Obama, what kind of leader are you?

All Americans must have quality and affordable health care??? Here's the realistic and pragmatic perspective. This is a wonderful, idealistic goal provided that individuals can afford health care or if the government had a surplus to be able to afford paying for this program if individuals cannot afford the costs. However, there is no guarantee in the constitution or law guaranteeing free health care and those who are working will have to pay the price through higher taxes. The costs for health care for 46 million people has the potential to be astronomical today and even more in the future. Our country is broke! As a matter of fact, we're more than broke = $1.8T in debt and increasing each hour.

Hey DLP, remember what he said. Our Constitution is a list of "negative liberties". Just remember that as this whole cluster goes forward. But everyone needs to ask themselves this....do I want a bureaucrat deciding what treatment or tests are ok for me? Do I want to be limited on what treatment I can get simply because I'm 65 and not 35? Under Daschel's plan, Ted Kennedy whould have been told that he has a duty to die. Except that he would fly to a foreign island and receive treatment that the rest of us "middle-class" citizens couldn't afford. Enjoy the ride folks!!!! If you live long enough to.

In response to cjfromphilly.

Do you really want an insurance company employee "deciding what treatment or tests are ok for me?" or "deciding what doctor I can see" or "deciding how much my treatment was worth and billing me for the rest" or "denying me coverage because my insurance is inadequate" or any of the other egregious methods insurance companies use to maximize their profits.
Do you really think that is better than a single payer.
Do you really think that an entity that exists for only one reason, to make a profit, will ever give you excellent health care unless you can pay lots and lots for it.
Do you really think, for the average person, that is better than the government's capability to bring good health care to everyone?

I don't!!!

3 benchmarks for real health-care reform:

Reducing Cost:
Obama, you stated with regards to healthcare "we can save 1 trillion dollars by changing our diets." tinyurl.com/VeganObama
In addition to this we can save trillions more by ending the subsidies that fund unsustainable animal agriculture.

Informed Decisions:
May President Obama's aids, staffers and advisers notify the public and political people with power how we can prevent climate change and help people achieve optimal health by adopting a vegan diet.

Prestigious Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production stated factory farms pose unacceptable risks to public health, the environment & animal welfare.

“It is the position of the American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada that appropriately planned vegetarian diets are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases…Well-planned vegan [pure vegetarian] and other types of vegetarian diets are appropriate for all stages of the life cycle, including during pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, and adolescence.”

Quality Care 4 All:
Fair treatment to humans as well as animals. Let's end discrimination by not engaging in discrimination and calling some animals our beloved pets and others we call food. Gandhi -The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the ways its animals are treated.

I know you are aware of the tremendous inefficiencies in the animal agriculture industry, such as the water usage, grain, soy, fuel and electric consumption. I know you are aware that a pure vegetarian diet is good for human health as well as for the health of our planet.
The Noble Peace Prize wining UN report “Livestock’s Long Shadow” paints a pretty clear picture that not pretty.

A recent study from Europe relieved that we can reverse 80% of climate change just by changing our diet. Ghent, Belgium set a world president going vegetarian for at least one day out of the week. We need to be courageous, bold and revolutionary and start the health care kick off event by kicking the harmful meat eating habit.

Why should I as a taxpayer fund the billions of dollars in subsidies that go to raising animals, lets start by at the very least end meat subsidies and divert those funds to public camping awareness to the plant based diet and organic farming practices.

James Hansen the top NASA climatologist warned we have 4 years we pass the point of no return. So it doesn’t make sense why we keep talking about green technology when the solution is right in front of us and we are not addressing it - its animal agriculture that is the biggest terrorist treat and its domestic. I’m asking you to ban meat – "a total recall," not just temperary ones because of tainted meat.

Please, be a heroic vegan President. The ever-growing veggie moment is standing by; ready, willing, and able to assist you in anyway possible

Here in Washington State, we have witnessed the passage of a budget which eviscerated the safety net for the vulnerable, the disabled, and the needy. Hundreds of millions of dollars were diverted from health care for children and the disabled. Long term care was gutted. Hospitals already stressed by the burden of caring for the uninsured saw their reimbusements cut by over 100 million dollars. This was all done by a Democratically controlled legislature and a Democratic Governor.
Is this the future of health care President Obama envisions?

Apparently our state government is not aware of Obama's principles. Here in Washington State, we have just witnessed the passage of a budget by a Democratically controlled legislature and a Democratic governor which violate all three of these principles. Hundreds of millions of dollars were removed from health care for children and the disabled, long term care, and hospital reimbursement for the indigent. True, the budget was balanced, but at a cost of human lives. If national health care is to truly succeed, it needs to start at the state level.

To fix healthcare it's simple. We need a national healthcare service, paid for by the government, with the option of private healthcare providers to.

You can thank Republicans with their hands in the pockets of insurers for our runaway health care costs. Democrats are the only ones who can get this right!

-JT
jthandbook@verizon.net

I would just formally like to say that I have forgiven Hillary Clinton for her idiotic Iraq war vote. I think this election has been a wake up call for the Clintons that they do not own the Democratic party. She is a wonderful choice for secretary of state...just not Prez or vice.she has presented herself as a representative of the new administartion and done it gracefully and enthusiastically. I haven't watched allot of news since President Obama was elected.I trust him to make the right choices and basically I need a break. I have been literally CONSUMED with the news since the start if the Iraq war. I deserve a break.I am proud of the job the Obamas are doing and that includes Michelle.I think we are on the right track but it won't be easy to get out of this mess. My brother in law is going back to either Iraq or Afghanistan in October. 2nd tour. he'll be gone at least a year. Army reserves.DID YOU HEAR THE LITTLE CREEP SAY THAT LEAVING OFFICE WAS "LIBERATING".It was liberating for us too except for the soldiers who will be in an unnecessary war in Iraq for years to come. and heroin is at epidemic proportions in America because he dropped the ball in Afghanistan. what a legacy he has left. I wonder if the cover of the Enquirer about his suicidal late night calls to Condi is true? probably not. she has no shame.

I meant HE HAS NO SHAME- NO REMORSE-NO CONSCIENCE.

I have had doctors who did hold back diagnosis and treatment because our PRIVATE HMO insurance told them to.
Healthnet: When I had to call for permission to have the 911 people take my husband to the hospital when he was having a heart attack, The HMO person on the phone told me to put him in a cab instead. The paramedic grabbed the phone and gave that private insurance HMO clown a good talking to.
Healthnet: When I was sick and had to return 3x's for the same condition to the doctors office, on the 3rd time the doctor finally diagnosed me with both upper and lower respiratory infections and treated me. The doctors excuse was, "the insurance prefers to wait to see if the patient can heal on their own." (What? from infections?)
And I have way tooo many bad experiences with different Private insurances to list during my 55years of age.
Would government insurance not be as good as Private insurance?
From my experiences it can't be any worse.

Is it ethical or moral to profit from the sick and injured? Especially those entities that play no role it the health or care of the sick and injured?

I do not see universal coverage as one of three priciples. That is a significant change. If everyone does NOT have healthcare then we have no fundamental change and the status quo wins.

60% of all bankruptcies are caused by our current Healthcare system. 75% of those are people with current health insurance.

The American People are beginning to demand that we have the same Health Care that our elected officials currently enjoy.

The American People do NOT want tax payer dollars to go to greedy insurance companies.

TIME FOR REAL HEALTHCARE CHANGE!

Nevermind, I must have missed Healthcare for all as one of the three principle earlier, or they added it. I am happy to see it back again.

Single payer system! United Health Care, yup they were my insurer. (Wonderful group, sure they donate to Washington, both sides of the aisle.) It seems they did not read their own policy, too much fine print. They denied an annual physical, yup! It was right there, in the policy, but they said it was not covered.

I am for a single pay system, for profit means for profit. It has nothing to do with health care. Our Dr. is paid extra for prescriptions, do we need another pill? What happened to healthy living and choices, well there IS NO INCENTIVE for that.

We have sick care in the USA, but then maybe your kind of sick is not covered or possibly has a $$ limit.

I want a Medicare for all.

THE PROBLEM

In my opinion, the single most important issue of our healthcare system is how we are paying for medical care. Whether we are doing it directly in the form of copays, or our insurance companies pay for us, the money is paid almost exclusively for visits or for specific services (tests, medical procedures, etc.) This system stimulates all healthcare providers to increase the duration and the cost of treatment in all possible ways: to make unnecessary appointments, to send patients to expensive tests, to use drugs extensively, etc. No wonder that the costs of healthcare are going through the roof! Moreover, such a system makes the doctors more interested in having the sicker rather than the healthier patients. No one in current debates regarding healthcare reform seems to be concerned with this issue. Yet, without addressing it all efforts to curb the healthcare costs are doomed.

THE SOLUTION

I believe the solution is possible, and it can be based on the following ideas.
1. Outlaw fee for visit or fee for service
2. Require all Americans to have health insurance through their employers, commercial, or government-sponsored plan(s)
3. Outlaw any discrimination on the base of age, gender, or health conditions (e.g. one flat rate must be applied to all, and no one can be denied of coverage)
4. Allow the members of any insurance plan to control the allocation of their premiums among participating providers
5. Require full transparency for all healthcare providers and insurance companies
6. Consider various forms of social support (public option, help to close eligibility gaps, etc.)

The proposed system will work like a subscription for all basic (excluding things like cosmetic surgery) medical services rather than purchasing each of them individually. All our premiums will go directly to participating healthcare providers as a constant stream of revenue that they can spend on their own discretion for salaries, investments into new equipment, etc. For providers and insurers it will be much easier to manage this constant revenue stream than to track each individual claim as they do in a current system. Hence, the management overhead, accounting for some estimates for more than 20% of total medical expenses, will be reduced dramatically. No matter how many patients the doctors see, what tests and procedures they send them to, what treatment plans they recommend, the doctors, nurses, and lab personal will receive the same money. So, if you're get treated after one visit and will not come to doctor's office for years, this will be the
best for you and for your doctor as well. The conflict of interests will disappear. And, since it's known that everyone is covered, no one will ever be asked, "Do you have insurance?", and so any patient can go to any doctor. Of course, some doctors will be busier than others, as it happens now.

So, why doctors will be interested to attract any patients at all? Because the patients will choose how their premiums will be spent. The insurance plans must become similar to retirement plans, which let you decide how to allocate your money between funds. For instance, you must be able to tell your insurer that you want 50% of your premium to go to your favorite doctor, and 30% to the hospital close to your home. Thus, if you liked another doctor more, you can say that you want to change your allocation in favor of that doctor. This way, the providers attracting more patients will get more money and more opportunities to expand, to hire the better doctors, and hence to attract even more patients. The real competition will start to work, and the patients and good doctors will be the winners.

This is where the requirement of transparency becomes really important. You as a member of insurance plan are paying for all services, and you should be fully informed how your money is spent, and where you can get a better care. All financial and performance data for all providers must be made available through their websites and through website of your insurer. So, if you've learned about higher salaries in some mediocre hospital, you can say, "Sorry, I don't want any of my money to go to this hospital." Or, you can just switch to another insurance company at any time, and no one will be able to stop you.

Thus, even without direct government involvement, the proposed mechanism will create incentives for better and more affordable care. Public option in some form can help immensely in reducing the costs, but it can be a tough political sell. Yet, even when the costs go down, for some people they still will remain too high, and some form of social support (and hence, the expenses) will be necessary. However, these issues are less critical than the core problem of our healthcare system, which is the PRACTICE OF PAYMENT FOR VISIT / SERVICE. This problem must be addressed first.

Reducing Costs - Only getting the plague of Insurance Bureaucrats out of the system can reduce the 50% burden they add to the cost of health care. Any number of studies show that the costs to the system for denying care are very high and what "savings" are realized are taken as profit and not passed on to the costs.

Guaranteeing Choice — Americans cannot select even their Insurance as it is selected for them by their employer, the insurance then limits the doctors to "In Network" and then further second guesses the doctors with more red tape and denial of what the doctor prescribes.

Ensuring Affordable Care for All - Can only be done in a Single Payer system built of the same progressive tax structure as Highways for all or any other government enterprise.

Is it possible to have stupid rules- certainly- but if it is stupid rules for everyone they will be quickly changed, if it is stupid rules only for the powerless they will stay stupid.

The problem with health care is two fold 1) the fact that malpractice insurance is out of control. Malpractice is caused by doctors being over worked and under staffed. 2) errors in record keeping caused by medical staff members not being able to read exactly what the doctor has diagnosed due to it being hand written. Only after malpractice and misdiagnosis's are put in check will health care truely be cured. If the government was to push electronic record keeping it would see millions if not billions saved ever year.

I for one would like to state that I DO NOT want any money donated to the DNC by myself or my family to go to any senator or congressman who oppose health care reform or the private option, period. I will stop donating or fund raising for the DNC if this is not the case.

An average of 400 people DIE a year from lack of health care and we would put money before lives? Unacceptable.