John Edwards got a rousing acceptance to the DNC Winter Meeting this weekend. One part of his speech included standing up for health care. Universal Health Care is one thing John wants to stand up for:
Now John is adding to his momentum and adding a national health care plan to his list of accolades. Universal health care is one attribute that is missing from this Western-style Democracy. Many countries have already accomplished this feat and it is about time that our country catch up.
Of course the media is spinning it as a tax increase and that it will cost up to $120 billion a year. Oh my f***ing god do these people need to get a grip. Bush just asked for $245 billion in wars and $120 billion gets their attention quicker than Bush's disgusting war. Maybe it is easy for some that have great health care plans to poo-poo the 47 million Americans that do not have insurance but this is important damnit.
Here's Ezra's take on it:
Where the Edwards' plan takes a big step forward is in mandating, along with the private options, that HMs offer "at least one plan [that] would be a public program based upon Medicare." And the intent is explicit: "Health Markets will offer a choice between private insurers and a public insurance plan modeled after Medicare, but separate and apart from it. Families and individuals will choose the plan that works best for them. This American solution will reward the sector that offers the best care at the best price. Over time, the system may evolve toward a single-payer approach if individuals and businesses prefer the public plan."
In other words, the public sector will finally be allowed to compete with the private sector, and consumers will be able to decide which style they prefer. For Democrats, this is a significant step forward. From there, the plan offers the usual mix of sliding subsidies to ensure affordability, individual mandate to universalize coverage, pay-for-performance promises, and public health fixes. You've heard those bits before. What's new, and what's important, are the community rated health markets that include public insurance. Indeed, the plan satisfied every plank of my progressive health reform test from last week.
It satisfies my desire for equality for Americans when it comes to health care. This is an issue that needs to be settled once and for all. The suffering that exists in our country is deplorable while there is so much wealth in the hands of so few. Any tax increases can be taken from the rich, though I doubt it is necessary when you cut out the hundreds of billions used to fund the troops caught in the chaos of Baghdad and the rest of Iraq around it.
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