Great piece, Cindy. Thanks for highlighting the economic benefits, specifically the job-creating aspects, of single payer healthcare. PA HB1660 / SB400 are the way to go!

Absolutely not! This government has proven time and time again, that it is not capable of running anything…except into the ground. NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Excellent points by Ms Purvis. Pennsylvania could indeed lead the nation by enacting meaningful healthcare reform that will make the state more attractive for businesses, keep our doctors and healthcare workers in place and provide quality, real affordable, innovative care to all Pennsylvanians.
Bob Huska conveniently forgets about Social Security, or the fire department and police that service his community.

Take Economics 101, see me in the morning.

I’m thinking that the Govt. should not be in charge of health care, but health insurance monopolies have messed up as badly as the financial industy.

Bob-
I assume you will be calling for the dismantling of the government run military, and the dropping of both Social Security and Medicare. Good luck with that.

Hey Cindy Brady,

Time to put Mrs. Beasley down and pick-up an economics book. Let me guess…you are the product of a union household. Time to get your mouth off the government teat, and start confronting the lawyer lobby and your state insurance commission…they are the keys to fixing the system…not creating another state agency with new decals on the side of SUV’s….nighty night…puddin’.

How about Guido and the Doctor explain exactly what part of Econ 101 says that Single-Payer Health Care is an inherently bad idea? Maybe you should start referencing specific theories instead of just making wild assertions. I’ve taken Econ 101, and 102, among others. Have you?

Have you talked to the physicians in PA about this? I doubt that they’d want to become state employees. Sure, this plan would be a boon to the unions that are just chomping at the bit to unionize every aspect of the health care delivery system. Most people with private health insurance do not want to be forced to use a goverment run system. Look at how well that has (not) worked out in Massachusetts.

Recently I read that Highmark BCBS is resisting investigations into their practices by our PA State Insurance Department-there are NO checks and balances or restraints of spending by the Insurance Industry-they spend 25% of our premium dollars on lobbyists, advertising, CEO salaries and bonuses and only care about NOT paying doctors for treatment rendered. Doctors know the drill, and have learned to live with it, but the rest of us know the cost, to our lives and personal financial insecurity. Government can run things properly if we get the special interests out of the process in the making of rules-that is where things get muddled up. Check out http://www.healthcare4allpa.org to learn the facts, and then discuss your objections intelligently. As Cindy points out, this will be JOBS JOBS JOBS because employers will quickly figure out that 10% of payroll is a lot less than the 25-30% of payroll they are currently paying, and will move into PA and bring their jobs with them. That is Economics 101

Greggy….you need some Sowell brother..read any Thomas Sowell book …start with ‘Basic Economics’….I believe Communist Russia had a single payer system…how did that turn outGreg? Sounds like you’re a fan of central planning….

Hey Greg…think about this question…deeply now….Who does government compete with on an ‘equal playing field’ (key words Greg) in a free market system? don’t hurt yourself now…

Hey contactsport…sounds like you are describing the insurance industry as the perfect metaphor for big government….so give big government oversight on what you quote as corrupt practices…..like stuffing crack pipes for crack addicts…..are you and Greg channeling Lenin…?

Rightgirlinbucks,

Under this single payer legislation the doctors would not become employees of the state. Neither would any other medical professional. We are just removing the toll booth (the insurance industry) that stand between us and our docs with their hand out. We now will have frredome to choose our own care. We now will no longer subsidize a useless industry. We have 4 docs on our board of directors. You can get more info at http://www.healthcare4allpa.org

Hey Cindy-poo….

Who will be the toll collector???

Gotcha!!!

Toll collectors are paid quite well in the Keystone State….and there DUI bosses have private drivers I understand.

cindy, good to see you fighting for what you believe in. best of luck.

I would like to start by saying my tone of voice is calm and I am neither Republican or Democrat – I am Independent and like (dis-like) members of both parties.

It is funny how people are so politically charged that they do not investigate the facts. The Single Payer Model is in effect and proven over many years to be effective as well as economical.

We do not need to go over Economics 101 – when there is proof over the many years of Medicare’s existence. This is NOT socialized medicine – quite the opposite. You have more choices of Doctors and treatment – not less.

Out of the options from the Dems, and the options from the Reps, HR-676, HB 1660 & SB 400 is the most logical type of option(s). I support HR-676. From a business mans perspective – cutting the admin cost from the current 25% down to (Medicare Proven) 2-3% admin cost – ALONE, that speaks volumes. Not to mention the CEO salaries wont have to be paid – that equates to millions of lost health care dollars to be used to help people & fund the system.

Even if my taxes were increased $7000-$10000 per year – I would be better off (I pay my own insurance – not company paid). We are only talking a modest increase in tax and no more out of pocket expenses – I see it as a wash.

Take some time to view the many articles and videos on Single Payer Plans – and get involved by signing petitions.

The Democratic Plan on the table now will be costly to say the least, and the Republican options are limited to people that can actually pay for insurance.

When people do not have jobs (10% average in America) and the choice is food, shelter or insurance – I guess you can see which they would choose first.

For those whom believe Single Payer is socialized medicine – better that (which it’s not) than Fascism (which it is now).

By the way – I work with Doctors everyday – Doctors have the least amount of headaches with Medicare. Many of them are in favor of Single Payer – it make billing easier.

The point about a government take over of health care is I belive in error. We are talking about a public funded/private delivered system. Let Blue Shield administer it, who cares ! If such a plan is in place, I believe job creation will explode, will employees who are now unyoked from health care expand I think so.The US is already becoming uncompetative in the market place because of our employer based health care system. The savings are huge, what about auto insurance , would you need a medica clause ? Why, you are already covered for life ! Single payer is the “only way to go, without it the cost of health care will cause our economy to implode.

[...] Posted By Cindy Purvis On February 16, 2010 @ 7:00 am In Opinion, Voices | 17 Comments [...]

This seems contradictory to me. We are told by Democrats that competition lowers health care costs, but these same Democrats want a single payer system?

So a monopoly is OK, so long as it is the goverment? What happens when the goverment has a something the people pay for and they decide they need money somewhere else?

They will raise the cost of health care premiums, as a revenue source!