[GPCA Updates] GP RELEASE Greens: America needs Single-Payer, not the public health care option

Tue May 26 19:28:42 PDT 2009

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GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES
http://www.gp.org

For Immediate Release:
Tuesday, May 26, 2009

America needs Single-Payer, not the public health care option, say
Greens

• Greens blast Democrats, liberal caucuses in Congress, unions, and
health care advocacy groups that have backed away from Single-Payer
in favor of the public option

• Sen. Baucus and other Democratic and Republican foes of
Single-Payer are taking big money from the private health
insurance/HMO industry; Greens cite likely 84% reduction in
administrative costs only possible through Single-Payer's public
finance-private delivery plan

• Green Party Speakers Bureau: Green leaders available to speak on
health care http://www.gp.org/speakers/speakers-health-care.php

WASHINGTON, DC -- Green Party leaders and health care reform
activists said today that the 'public health care option,' promoted
by many Democrats, is not an acceptable alternative to a
Single-Payer/Medicare For All national health care program (HR 676).

The Green Party of the United States has endorsed the national Day
of Action
(http://www.healthcare-now.org/campaigns/may-30th-day-of-action) for
Single-Payer national health care on Saturday, May 30
(http://www.gp.org/press/pr-national.php?ID=212).

Party leaders sharply criticized Democratic politicians, health care
advocacy groups like the Health Care For America Now coalition and
Maine People's Alliance, unions, and liberal and progressive
caucuses in Congress
(http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2009/04/28-25) that have
backed away from demanding Single-Payer in favor of the public option.

"The so-called public health care option is an attempt to confuse
Americans who actually want Single-Payer.  The 'public health care
option' leaves the for-profit insurance and HMO industry intact and
in charge, with expensive segregated and multi-tiered coverage
designed for maximum complexity and minimum efficiency," said Phil
Huckelberry, co-chair of the Green Party of the United States.

"The public health care option constitutes political malpractice,"
Mr. Huckelberry added.

Greens call insurance companies and HMOs the principal reason why
the US spends far more money for a 'sick care' system that performs
worse than all other industrial countries' health care programs.

"Democrats in Congress are killing real health care reform by
insisting on a dominant role for insurance companies.  A public
option alongside numerous private insurance and HMO plans will not
curb the high cost of coverage.  Single-Payer will cover all
Americans in a single insurance pool, with comprehensive health care
for all and full choice of physician and hospital, while cutting
administrative costs to the tune of $400 billion," said Jody Grage,
treasurer of the national Green Party.

According to Physicians for a National Health Program, "[o]ver 31%
of every health care dollar goes to paperwork, overhead, CEO
salaries, profits, etc." in private coverage, and has estimated a
reduction of 84% in administrative costs under Single-Payer
(http://www.pnhp.org/facts/singlepayer_faq.php).  The public health
care option cannot guarantee any such savings, because private
coverage would continue to exist.

Single-Payer, argued Greens, will also give government the leverage
to negotiate and reduce the cost of medicine and medical technology.
  The public health care option will not allow such negotiation and
will not stem the rising costs of health care.

Another danger, warned Greens, is that a multi-option system would
result in many employers shifting their health care benefits plans
to the less-expensive public option, which would already cover many
working Americans and older, poorer, sicker, and at-risk
populations.  The resulting strain will lead to a demand to
privatize public insurance and to huge taxpayer subsidies for
private insurers.

"It is absolutely inevitable that additional taxpayer subsidies
would be required to pay for private plans, whether through tax
credits, tax deductions or vouchers.  It is morally wrong to require
taxpayers to subsidize inferior private health plans when they could
be replaced with a superior, more efficient public insurance program
-- an expanded and improved Medicare for all." (Physicians for a
National Health Program blog, http://www.pnhp.org/blog)

Greens noted that the health care industry recently sabotaged an
announcement from President Obama that insurance and other health
care companies had pledged to trim the rapid growth of health care
costs
(http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601110&sid=ai_lzQQmWn3U).
  The promised reduction over ten years would have slowed the
expected 6.2% per year increase by 1.5%, too negligible to have an
effect on Americans' health care expenses.  However, the health care
industry decided that even this amount was too much
(http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/15/health/policy/15health.html).

Greens called this a sign that insurance companies and allied
industries will not cooperate in any effort to cut health care costs
and expand coverage.

"Senate Finance Committee Max Baucus, who keeps insisting that
Single-Payer is off the table, took $183,750 from health insurance
companies and $229,020 from drug companies in the last two election
cycles.  Many of his fellow Senators and Representatives have taken
similar contributions
(http://www.opensecrets.org/industries/indus.php?ind=F09).  The
health insurance and HMO industry wants to kill reform so they can
continue to enlarge their profit margins by excluding Americans and
by overcharging and restricting treatment for those who do have
coverage," said Starlene Rankin Co-chair, co-chair of the Lavender
Green Caucus (http://www.lavendergreens.us).

MORE INFORMATION

Green Party of the United States http://www.gp.org
202-319-7191, 866-41GREEN
Fax 202-319-7193
• Tally of Green election victories
http://www.gp.org/2008-elections/election-results.html
• Green candidate news
http://www.gp.org/2008-elections/candidate-news.php
• Green candidate database for 2008 and other campaign information:
http://www.gp.org/elections.shtml
• Green Party News Center http://www.gp.org/newscenter.shtml
• Green Party Speakers Bureau http://www.gp.org/speakers
• Green Party ballot access page http://www.gp.org/2008-elections

Green Party information page on Single-Payer
http://www.gp.org/organize/sicko.html

Physicians for a National Health Program on the public health care
option
http://www.pnhp.org/facts/singlepayer_faq.php#public-option
http://www.pnhp.org/facts/singlepayer_faq.php#public-option-right-direction

Interview with Dr. Sidney Wolfe of Public Citizen and Dr. David
Himmelstein of Physicians for a National Health Program, Bill Moyers
Journal, PBS, May 22, 2009
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/05222009/watch2.html

"We Spend Twice as Much on Health Care as Other Rich Countries --
and What Do We Get for It?"
By Dean Baker, AlterNet, May 19, 2009
http://www.alternet.org/healthwellness/140098

"Baucus Flees From Single Payer Advocates"
Single-Payer Action, May 21, 2009
http://www.singlepayeraction.org/blog/?p=726

Green Pages, Vol. 13, No. 1
The official publication of record of the Green Party of the United
States
http://gp.org/greenpages-blog

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