Thoughts on the struggle for Health Care Reform

[MMEEROPO%WNEC . BITNET]

>From:  IN%"[EMAIL PROTECTED]"  "Elaine Bernard"  5-MAR-1994 08:35:25.20
>Date: Sat, 05 Mar 1994 08:15:20 -0500 (EST)
>From: Elaine Bernard <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>

Dear Penners:

I forward a message from Elaine Bernard, who you probably know has been very
involved in the struggle to support the single-payer Canadian style health
insurance system as an alternative to the present mess and the Clinton "plan".
 I thought some of the political issues she developed in the post were worth
debating among a larger group of people.  So... here it is... [forwarded by
Mike Meeropol]

>At the moment the single payer people have divided

>into two camps (well, actually many more than that but

>here-s how it goes) those of us who think that Clinton

>has blown it and his plan might actually be worst than

>the status quo (in that with the status quo - that is

>defeating Clinton's plan we will still HAVE to address

>the health care crisis because at 14% of GDP it's an

>economic necessity...) those of us who don't like

>Clinton's plan but hope that by working with them we

>can move it towards a single pay, and most particularly

>through making it possible for states to opt into

>a single payer option, and those who have decided to

>go along with Clinton's plan because it's the best

>we're going to get and even with it, it's going to

>be very difficult to prevent it from being "watered"

>down by Congress.

>

>Needless to say I'm probably in the first camp --

>very worried about Clinton's plan, think it's not

>much of a solution and believe it will eventually

>become a barrier not an aid to single payer or

>a more socialized system.  But tactically, where the

>action is, is that Clinton's plan is so bloody

>confusing and difficult to explain, that I can

>get endless speaking engagement by agreeing to

>come in explain his system, and critique it.

>

>Of course the real problem is that ever day you

>read another "possible" change that Clinton would

>be willing to go along with.

>

>Elaine


Thoughts?  Mike

Mike Meeropol
(bitnet%"mmeeropo@wnec")
(in%"[EMAIL PROTECTED]")
(#100)