Al Gore led congressional hearings on drug company pricing schemes
and worked to defeat Republican efforts to cut Medicare. He
developed a plan for strengthening and preserving Medicare that would make sure ALL
Medicare beneficiaries have access to a REAL prescription drug benefits. |
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Wealthy Seniors Coalition attacks Al Gore
for Supporting Government-Run Socialized Medicine Program
Posted November 16, 2002
thepeoplesvoice.org
By the Editor
Today The Seniors Coalition, the nation's
leading "free-market" right wing senior advocacy organization
which represents four million wealthy members, attacked former Vice
President Al Gore for advocating a government-run healthcare system more
progressive than the one he helped design during his administration.
Gore's approach, which
a tiny minority of wealthy seniors, the
corporate media, and a republican dominated Congress have repeatedly
rejected is the only plan put forward that will definitely provide all
Americans with quality medical care.
"We were stunned when we heard former Vice President Gore declare his
support for a single-payer socialized healthcare system as an 'answer' to
the problem of the uninsured. We thought he had abandoned this kind of
failed idea, but some ideas, it seems, just won't die. (or can't be killed
because their just so good) In fact, the former
Vice President has moved even farther away from America's seniors on this
issue," said Mary M. Martin, chairman of The vocal and insensitive
little clutch of wealthy oldsters calling themselves the 'Seniors
Coalition'. "The truth is," she continued, "his
plan would saddle American healthcare from top to bottom with a burdensome
federal bureaucracy that will ensnarl seniors in red tape. Out-of-touch
government bureaucrats would run and control healthcare, along with
interfering in the most intimate details in our personal lives. His
socialist plan would take away seniors' choices and hurt their access to
quality, affordable care."
Our government has virtually abandoned most seniors and the American people
on the issue of healthcare.
More than 18,000 Americans die every year solely because they cannot afford private health
care insurance. This is the finding of a new study entitled “Care without coverage:
Too little, too late,” The National Academy of Sciences, also paints a horrific
picture
of the consequences of America’s for-profit health care system. More than 40 million
people, including nearly 10 million children, have no health insurance, and the number
continues to grow at a pace of about 1 million each year. One must wonder how much more "out of
touch" our government could possibly be. The massive HMO bureaucracy which Americans
are presently saddled with, is filled with nameless faceless corporatists,
"interfering in the most intimate details in our personal
lives." For those in our society fortunate enough to have medical insurance,
HMO's have already,
"taken
away their choices and hurt their access to quality, affordable
care."
Under a single-payer healthcare system, all
funds spent for healthcare are collected and managed by a government
agency or trust fund rather than a profit driven private securities firm. This government agency
operating much like our Social Security system, would provide a comprehensive
healthcare coverage for all citizens regardless of whether health services
are delivered through private health plans or government-operated
programs. Single-payer healthcare systems, like those in Canada and the
United Kingdom, have been completely successful at providing 100% of their
populations with not only quality medical care but dental care also, something,
far out of reach for the majority of Americans.
Mary M. Martin representative of the old and wealthy few
continued, "And while we want to see a solution found that will
address the uninsured problem, we cannot support a single-payer system
that will hurt seniors' access to quality care, limit their choices and
decisions as patients, and result in higher medical bills."
Translation: We don't give a damn if forty million uninsured
Americans drop dead. We couldn't care less if a solution is found that
will address the uninsured problem in this country. We cannot support a
single-payer system that will jeopardize wealthy seniors' access to
limited quality care. Sharing the existing medical technology and
providing for other Americans will result in higher medical costs for us,
the rich.
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