Saturday, July 9, 2011

CNN: Dr. Sanjay Gupta- Interviewing President Bill Clinton in 2009: 'Bill Clinton Compares Single-Payer, Universal Health Care Vs. Free Market, Private Health Coverage'


Source:CNN- President William J. Clinton (1993-2001) being interviewed by CNN about healthcare reform, in 2009.
"(3/11/09) Bill Clinton debates the merits of a pure, universal single-payer health care model vs. a free market, privately insured system.  Video: CNN's "Larry King Live" w/ guest host: Dr. Sanjay Gupta." 

From CNN

My ideal health insurance system as well as health care system, is a system that puts the consumers, not government in charged of where they get their health insurance and health care and how they pay for it. That doesn't put monopolies private and public in charged of where and how people get their health insurance. Where you have multiple health insurance and health  are providers, including non-profits competing with each other. To give consumers maximum access in where they get these services. Bringing prices down through competition. 

If people don't like the health insurance, or health care from one provider, they have the option to go somewhere else. Forcing providers to compete with each and force them to provide the best service possible to have the most customers possible. A health care system thats well-regulated, not over or under regulated, something like a Patients Bill of Rights in order to prevent health insurance and health care providers from abusing their patients. I'm against dumping people when they get sick for example, or having lifetime caps. 

I've basically just laid out the health care systems of France, Germany, Switzerland, Holland and Japan. Not the health care systems of Canada, Britain, Denmark, or Sweden. Which have single payer systems that Socialists tend to favor in America and in other countries. 

The Obama Administration during the health care reform debate of 2009-10, attempted to move our health care system, to the French-German public-private model. And even wanted to put through a public option non-profit health insurance provider that would be self-financed, self sufficient and independent of the Federal Government. This wasn't going to be some new entitlement program that would cover the entire country like a single payer system. And they got damn close to passing it before they settled for the Affordable Care Act.

My opposition with a single payer system is that takes power away from the people who would be consuming the health care system and giving it to government. As a Liberal I have a big problem with that, or any other attempt to take power away from people and give it to government. 

Yes, Canada and Britain's health care system costs half of what ours as far as GDP. But in my opinion Canadian and Brits pay a heavy price for it. They pay less money in exchange for less freedom when it comes to their health insurance. 

I rather pay a little more for health insurance, as long as I have the freedom in where I pay it. By the way, France which doesn't have a government-run system, but a public-private system, spends less of it's GDP on their health care system than Canada and Britain. 

If I had a choice in where I was going to live between these three fine countries and it came down to health care systems, I would take my chances in being able to speak French fluently and move to France. If America ever moved to the French model as far as health care and we were still paying more for our health care than Canada and Britain, but a little more, then it would still be a damn good investment for America.

Liberal Democrat

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