This blog entry will replace a more verbose entry that I felt was simply too much for most blog readers to focus on and provide feedback. So that blog entry has become a white paper and will be retrievable from this blog entry, if you so desire. Check at the end of this blog for the link.

Again we turn to the primary issue from our perspective at the Senior Citizens Consortium, that of Single Payer Universal Health Care. Consider that the health care system in the US, based on a private sector commercial approach to medical care results in the highest cost per capita in the developed countries. Most of the European countries, all democracies, have a health care cost of less than 50% of ours and they consistently produce far better medical outcomes for their citizens. Consider also, the United States, the richest, most powerful country in the world, is ranked 38 on the list of developed countries with regard to health care for its citizens!

With our seemingly perpetual election cycles considering that this Presidential election started almost immediately after the 2006 mid term elections, we now have a plethora of candidates all angling to be nominated as their party’s candidate for the elections in NOVEMBER of 2008!!! However, these people are basically talkng a lot, yet saying nothing, which is pretty typical for politicans in a campaign. They are full of platitudes, obfuscation of issues, and in far too many cases, outright lies, to convince the public that they are the most deserving to be our government’s chief executive. Frankly, none of them are listening to the people, they are hearing what they want to hear.

With this attitude on the part of the candidates, it seems more and more important that we, the American People, need to get out of our comfortable homes and hit the streets, figuratively speaking. Now I know that the call for street demonstrations at the places where the candidates meet will be met with a huge ho hum. With the exception of a few people against the War In Iraq, we don’t seem to have the stomach for letting our politicans know what we, as taxpaying citizens want to see in the way of legislation. We need to get out there and tell them in no uncertain terms that if they want our votes, they must listen to us, not the fat cat health care industry! Do we need to march in the streets in reality? Probably not, even though that would make a huge difference. What we do need to do, folks is let these people know, in no uncertain terms, that we are truly an angry citizenry and they had better start listening to us.

Now, really, I don’t expect much from the Republican candidates on the aspect of Single Payer Universal Health Care, but I would have thought that the Democrats would have had better ideas for their consituents! Not so. Clinton, Edwards, Obama, Richardson, the entire slate of wannabe presidnts, are basically espousing a plan that requires ALL citizens to have MEDICAL INSURANCE, but does nothing to slow or halt the alarming increase in the cost of medical care and pharmaceuticals. Their “plan” is essentally based on the plan put in place in Massachusetts, where people were required to have health insurance and the state would “assist” them where necessary with the cost of premiums. They are basically tinkering with the health care system instead of trying to fix it.

The only candidate who is in support of the idea of Single Payer Universal Health Care is Dennis Kucinich! He is supporting Congressman Conyers’ National Heath Insurance bill HR676 currently in the congress but languishing as it has done for several years. The HR-676 bill is available for reading or downloading either from Congressman Conyers web site of at the link below.

HR676 National Health Care

The bill is only 27 pages long folks and it is well worth a few minutes of your time to read it. Congressman Conyers and his staff have put together a very good start for universal health care. It it not the optimal solution, but it will provide an excellent baseline.

Further, we need to establish an American Health Care Bill of Rights. The following is a starting list of these bill of rights. We would encourage any of you reading this, to submit your idea for further enhancements to this preliminary list.

I was truly disappointed when the Democratic candidates all started spouting the Health Care Industry line of expanding the care through expanding the insurance and HMO theft. Clinton, Obama, Edwards, Biden, Richardson, well you get the picture! ALL of these so called Democrats have totally bought into or have been bought by, the insurance and health care industry. While that stuff is expected from the Republican candidates, it was and is truly disappointing that the Democrats are not stepping up to the plate for all Americans in providing health care as a right for all citizens.

I will tell you all that the Senior Citizens Consortium is going to be more and more active in this advocacy for Single Payer Universal Health Care and we will be contacting our elected representatives and those candidates who are sniffing around for our votes. We will, even if the AARP will not, take the side of senior citizens, along with all other citizens and legal residents in this fight for a recognized RIGHT to health care.

We, at the SCC will work diligently to let all politicians know that the people of the United States believe that health care is NOT a consumer product as our so called president keeps trying to sell us on. Health care decisions are not and they should never be, subject to a consumer product decision. The very idea of health care as a consumer product shows that our adminitration has no clue and frankly does not care a whit about the regular American Citizen.

Our SCC membership is encouraged to take an active role in pushing their political representatives to recognize the NEED for single payer universal health care. If they can’t recognize that need, and our demands for this RIGHT, we need to replace them with politicians who will!

Now, for those of you who want to read the original blog posting that this entry has replaced, click on the link below:

Universal Health Care-Redux

I do get a bit verbose, but this subject is, or should be, among the most important subjects for this country.

The Republicans are now totally owned and operated by the far right conservative leg of the party and these people are all water carriers for the insurance, medical, and pharmaceutical lobbies in the health care program area. Republicans have not cared a whit for the average American for so long that no one can even remember when that might have been the case. So don’t look to the Republicans to help in this area, they are going to fight it tooth and nail and will bring in their pals in the industry with the deep pockets to present lies and half truths to once again defeat a chance at a reasonable health care access program. Remember the Harry and Louise lying ads on TV and Radio? Who do you think put up the millions of dollars for those lies?

So, keep the candidates, both presidential and congressional on their toes. Write them, call them and send them emails. Let them know that we want a total restructuring of the health care access sytem in this country. Let them know that at the very least, they must support Congressman Conyers’ HR676 bill.

Step up to the plate folks, you are the owners of this country, not the politicans and their cronies in the industry. Let them know how you really feel. Comments on this blog can be forwarded to our candidates if you wish. Just let us know.