Cover the Uninsured Week
A project of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Opinion: Week-long Series Details Need for Health Care Reform. St. Louis Post advocates for government-regulated, single-payer plan Source(s): The St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Dec. 26-Jan. 2)
An in-depth, week-long series of editorials in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch builds a case for a government-regulated, single-payer system in the U.S…
The final editorial concludes that, in a wealthy nation such as ours, “it stains our national conscience that we tolerate a medical system which casts out [the uninsured] and makes them choose between food and medicine … It is time for America to provide all its citizens with health coverage they cannot lose, even if they lose their jobs.” The article notes that this is a rational idea, but not a radical one, because between Medicaid, Medicare and other programs, the government already pays between 45 and 60 percent of the nation’s health care bill. Furthermore, Medicare is a successful model that runs with less than a third of the overhead costs of private coverage.
A single-payer system financed through a higher personal income tax and a gross receipts tax on business would be less costly than the current employment-based system. In addition, the outcome would not be socialized medicine if hospitals remain private and doctors control their own practices. While the editorial warns not to expect change soon, it does “expect to see a single-payer system eventually” because “cold business logic favors the efficiency” of such a plan.
http://covertheuninsuredweek.org/news/index.php?NewsID=1034
Comment: The St. Louis Post-Dispatch editorial conclusion that cold business logic will eventually lead to a single payer system requires no further comment.
But an important development in the Covering the Uninsured Week (CTUW) process mandates our comment. Prior efforts of this annual week of events have been aimed at publicizing the problems of the uninsured in an attempt to educate the public that something must be done. Advocates of various models of reform have been annoyed by the fact that advocacy for their preferred models was essentially prohibited at the CTUW events.
The following announcement indicates that the 2005 CTUW events will move the process forward:
“Building off the success of Cover the Uninsured Week 2004, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has announced dates for the 2005 effort. From April 30-May 8, 2005, Cover the Uninsured Week forums will inform our nation’s leaders, including elected officials, about policy proposals to expand coverage to the uninsured and to make coverage more affordable and stable for those who have it. Check back soon for more details and updates.”
http://covertheuninsuredweek.org/
In case you skimmed through that too fast, the 2005 CTUW forums:
- will inform our nation’s leaders, including elected officials
- about policy proposals
- to expand coverage to the uninsured and
- to make coverage more affordable and stable for those who have it
Considering the purpose of the forums, it is quite clear that advocates of the other flawed models cannot hold a candle to ours. We have been presented with a victory before the process has begun. It is only ours to lose.
Your homework assignment:
1. Go to the CTUW website and sign up for the weekly news digest and regular
updates on the campaign: http://covertheuninsuredweek.org/
2. Begin thinking about how you can play a roll in informing the nation on the policy proposals that will cover the uninsured and improve coverage for those who already have it. Then refine your efforts as more details and updates become available.
After all, the editorial staff of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch does “expect to see a single-payer system eventually.” Let’s see if we can expedite that.