Day 2 (Part Two): Green Party pitches single-payer health care
“Live longer; pay less.”
That was the mantra offered by 2004 vice-presidential nominee Pat LaMarche during the Green Party’s single-payer health care forum, held on Friday at N.C. Central University in Durham.
The former talk-radio host, and Maine gubernatorial candidate, got the crowd of roughly 100 to chant along for single-payer systems throughout the world that provide better health care, at cheaper costs, than the United States. The World Health Organization found the United States spends more per capita on health care than any country in the world, but ranks 37th in quality of care. Universal single-payer systems ranking higher include Canada and Australia, while most developed countries provide some element of single-payer insurance.
To assuage opponents of so-called “socialized medicine, LaMarche said that patients could always “opt-out,” like choosing FedEx over the U.S. Postal Service.
“You can still do all the fancy rich-people stuff,” she said.
Meanwhile, Jonathan Kotch, a professor at UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, said even single-payer health care–currently not on the table in discussions over health-care reform–would not represent truly “socialized” medicine, since the government would control insurance but not the administration of doctors and hospitals. (By contrast, the U.S. Veterans Administration is a form of socialized medicine, Kotch said.)
Kotch said single-payer health care would help eliminate problems such as over-prescription, unnecessary medical procedures, “rationed care” based on income level, and overhead costs that go to medical-insurance CEO’s and “so-called customer representatives who are paid to be a barrier between you and your health benefits.”
Kamal Artin, a psychiatrist from California, spoke up during a brief question-and-answer session to say the Greens should advocate for single-payer health care but not attempt to derail any reform.
“It can’t get any worse,” replied George Friday, a N.C. Green Party member and the panel’s moderator.
“Although single-payer is nobler, the country is not ready for it because of its fear of socialism,” Artin told the Indy.
“If the Republicans advocate for [Obama's] plan to fail, it’s bad for everyone. The Greens should advocate to at least have something.”
4 Comments
[...] In my radio show I mentioned Matt Saldana, a reporter for the Independent, a weekly publication covering the Raliggh and Durham areas. He is, as far as I can tell, the only professional media here, and he seems to be doing a good job. His report on the health care forum is here [...]
— Durham weekly, Independent, covers national meeting 25 July 2009
It should be easy enough for us Greens to make the point that (a) we still WANT single-payer but (b) we’re happy for any changes to the status quo that get us moving in that direction. If we’re going to reach out to more potentially Greenish folks, we have to help them where they are now…
/ / skip
Skip Mendler (former Triangle denizen)
Chair, Wayne County (PA) Green Party Comm.
— Skip Mendler 26 July 2009
It is silly to think that the Greens should compromise so much that they mention that other reforms–besides single payer–are okay.
The Greens power is in two areas: 1. Political power - threat to other parties. 2. In the small group of activists the Green Party is in communication with.
Politically, the Green Party doesn’t have any office-holders in the federal government, where this is being decided. So, the Green Party can’t be “subtle”. There is no space or reason to build coalitions or negotiate around to measure one proposal over another. So, politically, the Green Party should just say the strongest, political message that is what they want.
There is no reason for the greens to water down their political ideal, when they have such strong consensus and sound reasoning among themselves. And, they have no resources in the practical world of ironing out bills which could have made compromise useful.
And, in the area of messaging and education, there is only a small group of people who ever hear the Green Party message. A few spotty local publications around the country. And, then some very alternative press. The people the Green Party talks to are mostly passionate activists and very adamant on the Single-Payer issue. The Green Party is barely has the microphone, and if they use it to send out a watered-down message of compromise, they are going to anger their base, and confuse people new to their messages.
It would be a big, fat, waste of time to try to get the Green Party as an entity to support anything other than Single-Payer.
And, in some ways, it would be a favor to “Obama” to give the message, “Forget your ideals, and do something fast,” which he is trying to say.
Obama does not need the help of the Green Party to say his message. He has a geometrically huge amount more money and power than the tiny Green Party. Lobby Obama to the left. Don’t lobby the Green Party to the right. (Especially don’t lobby the Green Party to the right from inside it.)
— Kimberly Wilder 27 July 2009
As a party the Greens are ONLY in favor of a single payer system. Off the cuff comments made by any member should not be taken as our official political stance.
I would welcome any who feel disenfranchised by the current seesaw political system, that is currently wielding power for the wealthy corporations that hope to finance it in perpetuity, to join the Greens.
Visit http://www.gp.org
If our values are your values don’t betray them. Registering Green is the first step to making a your vote count in the better direction for many things.
— Jennifer Sullivan 27 July 2009