An Autoworker's View on Health Care
70% of our society would like to see a National for all, single-payer, not-for-profit, National Health Care system. People in the United States, if they could, would vote overwhelmingly for National Health Care. Especially businesses owners. The insurance companies say they want people to be able to keep the choice in health care, but 50 million plus people cannot afford there brand of health insurance. Our Health Insurance Industry insurance is for healthly people. The minute you have a pre-determined condition or become uninsurable because of health issues, the rates go out of sight or your dropped. We need a National Heath Care Program that insures everyone. HR 676 does this.
The Conyers / Kucinich HR 676 National Health Care Bill is the best I have seen in addressing the National Health Care Reform issue. This is legislation which would expand Medicare for All A universal, single-payer, not-for-profit health care system that leaves no American behind. Think of HR 676, not so much as socialized medicine, (And why so many physicians are supporting the HR 676 National Health Care Bill), but as spreading the cost and risk of National Health Care insurance around, the same as insurance companies pool the risk insuring cars, homes, businesses, etc. SO, a catastrophic health event does not financially devastate a person and take everything they have worked for and they could pass on what they have worked for. I would rather pay a little more out of my paycheck to FICA and Medicare, for this piece of mind, to know I, my family and everyone has National Health Care Insurance. It is the right thing to do by people. National Health Care, Preventative and Educational medicine for children would be the basis of severely reducing the cost of future health care.
Do HR 676. Do not try to piece meal National Health-Care-Reform, a little bit now and a little bit in a couple years. If you piece meal it, you know it is wrong to start with. Do it all now or it will be further compromised by Congress, because of self-serving health care insurance companies, Lobbyists and anyone with a self-serving interest to undermine this issue. Do it all at once, do it right, do it for all the people and businesses of this country, and do it now. We outspend all countries 2 to 1 in health care costs with ½ the coverage. Financial institutions have their toxic paper and Health Care has their cancerous administrative costs.
National Health Care would take a big burden off business in the United States, in helping U.S. businesses be more competitive in the global marketplace.
HR 676 would phase out the expensive 30% plus health insurance industry administrative costs, as the middle person, by buying them out, over a 15 year period. (This should be cut down to immediate=20phase out or a couple years at most) If we can eliminate the textile, furniture, steel, and many other industries, because they are not competitive in the marketplace, there is NO reason to keep the health care insurance industry as the middle person. The Health Insurance Industry would not be competitive in our Capitalist Society with their 30% plus administrative costs VS. Medicare's couple percent administrative cost. This 30% savings would go a long ways
towards providing National Health Care for all, along with approximately the same long term savings for preventative health care.
The next issue that needs addressed is how this is going to be paid for. Extending FICA and Medicare tax out with NO ceiling would be a start.
And this would be fair, with this further explanation.
FICA and Medicare are paid against income tax. The top 10% pay 60% of the taxes. The bottom 50% do not pay taxes. THINK ABOUT THIS. The way this really works is the bottom 50% pay the same high tax rate as the top 10%, when they buy a product or service from the top 10%. Poor people would really be paying for their National Health Care in pass along taxes. Everyone is paying the pass along top tax rate in the products and services they are buying. If you're a middle class taxpayer, it is twice as bad, because your paying taxes on your middle class income and the top pass along tax rate. (Then add in the thousands and thousands of pages of tax code exemptions given=20 by Congress to corporations and rich people) (Which is a good argument for a fair flat tax which would bring in a lot more money and eliminate these tax loopholes). And here is WHY. Last year, Federal tax income was 1.9 Trillion on 19 Trillion in (GDP) Gross Domestic Product. This is only 10% on the average, tax collections on the dollar. When they say they are going to give the bottom 90% a tax cut and increase the taxes of the top 10% rich, the bottom 90% are paying the pass along tax rate of the top 10%. It is going to be the same way with paying for National Health Care. People pay taxes, not corporations.
A National Health Care Bill further works because it streamlines, creates jobs and infrastructure, would eliminate the current wasteful (estimated to be 31% middle-man) for-profit, high administrative costs of Health Insurance Companies.
Things have changed a lot on the people who since the last time the National Health Care initiative last time it was trashed in 1993, properly presented this time, with 70% of Society now supporting a comprehensive National Health Care system, with no piecemeal compromises. Passing the "improved, expanded Medicare for all" which is also the name of the HR 676 National Health Care Bill legislation: which is well-thought out, time has come. It is the right thing to do as a caring, giving, Society. This is Social and Economic Justice.
Sincerely, Allen Nielsen.
