Markets and Health Care

There has been a lot of talk about the "market" providing adequate health care. Health Care should not be a commodity to be bought and sold. Health care is a human right.

There is a great deal of confusion concerning health care.

Many politicians continue to evade the fact that most people now want no-fee, single-payer, universal health care which has absolutely nothing in common with the calls for "affordable" universal health care. Once fees are attached to health care it is no longer "affordable." In fact, the rich have never bothered with health insurance, they like "the market" approach to health care.

We need to understand that "markets" have nothing in common with publicly financed and publicly administered "single-payer, universal health care."

A number of union "leaders" including the Teamster's James Hoffa and the Service Employee's Andy Stern are calling for "affordable" universal health care... in fact, their own salaries, as is their thinking, is more in line with the pay of CEO's than with working people so it is not surprising that they would not understand the health care issue any more than they understand that the minimum wage should be a real living wage and not the legislation they are supporting.

It is time to open up an honest discussion on the health care issue that includes no-fee, comprehensive, all inclusive, single-payer, universal health care that is publicly financed and publicly administered" as part of the health care debate.

It is clearly dishonest that politicians and labor "leaders" together with the media would even attempt to discuss the health care issue without including single-payer, universal health care.

The next time you hear anyone obscuring the issue with calls for "affordable universal health care" ask them to show you their own health insurance plan... chances are the person will be pretty well-heeled.

The capitalist "market" will never resolve the present health care mess so let's not be afraid to talk about the public sector solution.