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Pelosi Agrees to Allow a Vote on Single-Payer
Sunday, August 02, 2009

After angering the liberal wing of her party over compromises made to conservative Democrats, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has decided to allow a floor vote later this year on a plan creating a single-payer government-financed health care program.

The decision surprised Congressman Anthony Weiner (D-NY), who was pushing such a plan to be a part of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce’s version of a healthcare reform bill. Now, Weiner will be able to present his alternative reform measure as its own legislation for the entire House to vote on. Committee chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) doubts the single-payer plan can garner sufficient votes to pass. But he said it’s important for the plan to be given a chance, in order to assuage the left-wing of the Democratic caucus.

Weiner, co-chair of the Middle Class Caucus, has led the effort for single-payer along with Representatives Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Mike Doyle (D-PA), Elliot Engel (D-NY), Bobby Rush (D-IL), Janice Schakowsky (D-IL), and Peter Welch (D-VT).

-Noel Brinkerhoff

Single Payer Summer (by David Swanson, American Chronicle)

Pelosi To Allow Floor Vote On Single-Payer Healthcare Plan (by Jason Leopold, Public Record)

Liberals Will Get Single-payer Vote on House Floor (by Mike Soraghan, The Hill)

Comments

Karen Road - 8/31/2009 7:36:04 PM
I hope the Obama Plan never passes, as it will allow slow cooking of the frog americans. A total failure of the plan will then allow America to loose so much money to Health Care that Single Payer plan would pass quickly at that point. Why do those hypocrits at the Town Hall who are so rabid - why do they not rant about HOA Home Owners Assosiations or the Socialist armed forces we have. Lets Privatize the Government run Military!

Tired of Slime - 8/25/2009 10:56:23 AM
Eliot Engel VOTED FOR: Iraq War and subsequent funding to this day, Patriot Act, bailouts & stimuli (plural), Commodity Futures Modernization Act (led to finanical crisis), Food “Safety” Enhancement Act, which will shut down local farmers, cap and trade (electricity tax); he SUPPORTS the SECRECY of the Federal Reserve by refusing to support a proper audit (HR 1207). Call him up and set him straight! Come 2010, VOTE HIM OUT!!! Engel correctly says that health care is too expensive, but does not say why. Why is 80% of drug costs because of government overhead. Why do government regulations stifle competition? Why are the industries where the government subsidizes and inflates the currency the most expensive (health care, education, housing...). Why are relatively unregulated services, like laser eye and plastic surgery, becoming cheaper? Why is the unregulated tech industry producing more and more affordable computers and cell phones?

Warren - 8/9/2009 2:47:25 PM
This has been talked to death for forty years! What talk that is ongoing is being shouted down. The proof is in the pudding. There is no tax revolt in Canada because they actually feel like they get something of value for their contribution. That value is largely health care, people taking care of each other. Not, insurance companies getting rich denying care to those who need it most...the way it is in America. Wake up. This is a public health issue, it needs to be depoliticized and passed as soon as possible. Single payer, yes we can. Damn the buzz word nonsense: socialism, government run, bla bla bla.

Barbara - 8/5/2009 5:47:16 AM
As long as there is money to be made, profits to be driven, bonuses to be paid there will be no real reform in the health insurance industry. If our congressmen and senators had access only to what we the people have access to, rather than access to the "premium" health insurance and care they all agree they get,this reform would have occurred long ago. But our representatives have, apparently, no problem voting themselves top of line health insurance and access to care. But "we the people" don't deserve access to affordable, quality health care. Especially if we're sick. The premium health care reform for this country would be a single payer system, but a public option is a good place to start. Its like the education system in our country. If you have the money you send your kids to private school. If not they go to public school. Simple.

Anthony Oropallo - 8/4/2009 3:41:48 PM
Our Medicare system (along with most of the other industrial nations health care systems) proves a single-payer / National Health Insurance Plan (NHI) would work. Unlike the unproven "Public Option," the insurance industry would have a much more difficult time challenging the proven benefits of a Single Payer (NHI.) I think the biggest misperception is that the government is unable to run anything effectively. This is untrue! I can still mail a letter across the country for .45 cents! But the best example would be the Veterans Administration: "the Veterans Administration healthcare system as a pure form of socialized medicine because it is "owned, operated and financed by government."[14] The Veterans Administration is a single-payer system and provides excellent quality, said Reinhardt. In a peer-reviewed paper published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, researchers of the RAND Corp. reported that the quality of care received by Veterans Administration patients scored significantly higher overall than did comparable metrics for patients in the rest of the U.S. health system.[15" See, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single-payer_health_care It should also be pointed out that the Walter Reed was run by the Defense Department using private contractors, not the VA! If Baucus had given single payer advocates a seat at the Senate Commitee table, it wouldn't be such a long shot at this point. Regardless, should HR 676 pass it would be a great thing for the country!

Leslea Bates - 8/4/2009 9:00:15 AM
I think this issue needs a lot more discussion and rewrites of the bill before it goes to any type of vote. A lot of citizens have a lot of concerns about how this bill is written. We would also like the transparency we were promised and the bill put on the internet so that the public can read it and make an informed decision on what to tell our representatives and senators about the bill. I know that are very few members of congress that have read this bill in its entirety and I think that is a gross neglect of duty to the people of this country. What little I have heard cited doesn't sound reasonable and goes against what we are being told by the media. What is the motive behind passing this so quickly before everyone is making a well-informed decision? I agree we need to help those without insurance, but we need to do it in a responsible way, not in some knee jerk response to pressure from the speaker of the house.