Laura K Kochevar Woo Hoo!!! The Minnesota Health Plan Passes the State House Health Policy Committee 11-6 Thanks to all for their hard work!!!!!
The above was posted to a FaceBook comment to which I responded:
Alan L. Maki
Okay so far as far as discussions go... but, then this poster sent me her response--- which follows below to which she has prohibited me the opportunity to respond... so much for democracy from those who preach it the loudest but then refuse to practice what they preach... but, here is her response, followed by the response from me which she blocked:
Laura K Kochevar commented on her status:
And this is my response which the poster blocked:
I read your response; but, I also read the complete legislation. In fact, I studied it very thoroughly. Your claim is that sliding scale costs will be provided in due time. In my opinion, the time to disclose the costs is when looking for support, not later. Since a big part of this health care reform debate is about "costs" it seems to me like anyone claiming this legislation will cut costs would want to prove this.
Also, what makes me believe this is little more than a campaign "gimmick" by John Marty aimed at rallying his middle class and professional base of loyal supporters (midle class as distinct from working class) is that this legislation makes a point of talking about the need to educate people about the things that make them less healthy... well, John Marty was among those who opposed including casinos in the "Freedom to Breath" legislation... there are over 40,000 workers employed in the casino industry in Minnesota forced to work at poverty wages and without any rights in these smoke-filled casinos. Apparently John Marty isn't interested in educating the managements of these casinos on healthcare issues... but, then again, some of these casino managers are among his most loyal campaign contributors.
What we need is what is socialized health care... it is the only solution to this healthcare mess. Real single-payer universal healthcare--- which this Minnesota Health Act is not--- would be a first step towards socialized healthcare or public healthcare depending on the term one wants to use.
Socialized healthcare would also create thousands of new jobs in Minnesota... good jobs with good working conditions and good pay.
Minnesotans have long voiced their support for socialized healthcare:
No-fee/no-premium, all-inclusive, comprehensive, pre-natal to grave, universal healthcare; publicly funded, publicly administered and publicly delivered.
John Marty is proposing a boon-doggle as a campaign gimmick and as soon as soon as the complete costs of the proposed legislation come to light the Minnesota Health Act will be as dead as all these people who are dying because they can't afford healthcare now.
And, as you see, the John Marty and his DFL'ers aren't even able to protect the poor from Pawlenty's very mean cuts to healthcare so how would they ever enact legislation that is real healthcare reform... the Democrats are not going to move forward on real healthcare reform even if they completely dominated both the House and Senate and had a Democratic governor... even if John Marty was governor he would not push forward his own legislation because it would come under such overwhelming attack.
By-the-way, this legislation doesn't have any support at the grassroots or rank-and-file level among working class voters; why not?
We already have a very good single-payer universal healthcare resolution that is part of the DFL's "Action Agenda" based on what most Minnesotans consider to be Canadian-style healthcare so why would you be putting forward this resolution of yours which claims to be for single-payer nationally but a very reactionary piece of state legislation which the PNHP's national leadership will not even certify as being single-payer universal healthcare or "Medicare for All?"
Alan L. Maki
Also, notice the resolution these people are pushing to undermine the present resolution which is part of the DFL's "Action Agenda" supported by 72% of the delegates to the 2006 Minnesota DFL State Convention. They dishonestly try to "piggy-back" their very reactionary state legislation on support for national single-payer knowing full well Barack Obama and the Democrats have killed single-payer:
For your caucus tonight: 2010 DFL RESOLUTION FOR ENACTMENT OF THE MINNESOTA HEALTH ACT
2010 DFL RESOLUTION FOR ENACTMENT OF THE MINNESOTA HEALTH ACT
(from the 2008-2010 Party Platform, the Action Agenda, and Legislative Priorities)
WHEREAS, lack of health insurance is a cause of 45,000 deaths per year in the U.S.
and
WHEREAS, 62% of personal bankruptcies are due to medical expenses and over 75% of these people have health insurance
and
WHEREAS, Over 47 million people in this country lack health insurance, millions more are under-insured, over 450,000 Minnesotans lack insurance coverage and minorities are disproportionately likely to be without insurance
and
WHEREAS, Federal reforms will not achieve universal coverage nor adequately control costs, and will perpetuate a fragmented and inequitable health care system
and
WHEREAS, a single payer system is the only system of health care that can assure universal and equitable coverage, portability and choice of provider, while also controlling costs,
BE IT RESOLVED that the Democratic Farmer Labor Party supports and works to enact a universal, single-payer health care plan on the federal level and the single-payer Minnesota Health Act at the state level.
"Senator Paul Wellstone, who was widely known as the "The Conscience of the Senate," wrote that he spent 85 percent of his time fighting Republican attacks on working families. Were Paul still alive, he'd be fighting for the thousands who die or are driven into bankruptcy every year due to a lack of health coverage" George Erikson
Once again, I ask: Where are the costs to working people associated with this Minnesota Health Act and where are the costs for business?
In fact, the costs for healthcare leveled on business will be reduced while working people will bear a sharply increased burden... and this is the main fact the supporters of this legislation do not want to divulge.
In the name of "progressive healthcare reform" they are attempting to sell us another very reactionary piece of state legislation meant to compliment Obama's sellout of single-payer.
Slick and shrewd politics; dishonest politics.
The very same people who sold us Obama as being "progressive" are now trying the exact same dirty and dishonest tactics in trying to perpetuate one more hoax.
It is a good thing State Senator John Marty is floundering in trying to become an insurance salesman like Barack Obama.
Notice how they even invoke the name of former United States Senator Paul Wellstone to support their lies and dirty deeds in undermining the struggle for single-payer universal healthcare based upon the Canadian healthcare system as a first step to socialized healthcare.
I would also note that State Senator John Marty uses the word "reform" as deceptively and dishonestly as any health insurance salesman promotes their health insurance plans--- all very good on paper but quite another thing when you get sick.
The very word "reform" means to make something better; quite the opposite of Obama's health insurance legislation and John Marty's supplemental state legislative proposal.
Something to think about...
Alan L. Maki
