Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI): Ultimate Goal of Health Reform Legislation is Single Payer System

[dom44444]

Way to go Wisconsin, thanks for taking out one of the statistically best progressive in congress for some peace of shit businessman.

[nastylefthook1]

russ feingold is jewish,,,his agenda is israel first,,jew bankers first,,wisconsin third,,,,,time to vote in christian politicians,,,what is wrong with voting in people who have your same interest in mind,,,after all jewish caucus supports aipacs agenda,,which is not the gentile christian agenda

[TanMann6969]

Vote republican November 2nd if you care about Americas traditional values, about this once thriving countries thriving economy...about the preservation of the FREE MARKET. Fight against the murder of unborn children! Fight against the legalization of Marijuana! Fight against leaders that didn't make time to allow our troops, the backbone of our country, vote! This is it Wisconsin, take back the day, lets restore this state one vote at a time!

[roy1966]

mr feingold, i had asked for his help 3yrs ago and he never responded. two months ago his office called me asking if my problem was solved... well too late now... 5 of my house votes will go for ron johnson. mr feingold, you need to be there for people when they need you, not on the door steps of people just during elections... be there when they actually need you, not when you need them.

[CommonSenseJoe]

Russ is right. The whole objective of takeover is to force out ALL private insurance.

[TheWaukeshaSquirrel]

@CommonSenseJoe And what redeeming qualities does the private insurance model have? The 30% overhead in health care services to cover all the red tape and to fatten the bottom lines of the numerous insurance companies? Claims adjusters with a profit motive dictating what critical procedures a patient can and cannot get, and who provides them? The virtual monopolies that insurance companies have over middle class workers because it is too expensive to chose another provider? The GOP rhetoric???

[CommonSenseJoe]

@TheWaukeshaSquirrel The one redeeming quality I can think of right off the back is that IT IS NOT RUN BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT! These are the very people who have caused the problem in the FIRST PLACE. Medical insurance is ONLY a means of paying for medical care. The actual cost of the care is the problem here. I am free to buy as much health insurance as I WANT. I am free to have any procedures I want to have. I do not want the government control my choices.

[TheWaukeshaSquirrel]

@CommonSenseJoe The problem lies in that the common joe CAN'T AFFORD TO CHOOSE in the private insurance model, leaving corporate claims adjusters with a profit motive to control their choices. What we need is a very basic single payer system for the essential cares, while additional coverages can be bought on a true free market and with employers only receiving tax breaks for supplementing employees' individually managed insurance accounts (giving THE EMPLOYEE the choice of insurers).

[CommonSenseJoe]

@TheWaukeshaSquirrel No. the problem lies with the idea that the GOVERNMENT should be in the business of providing health insurance at all. What has ruined the best system in the world has been Medicare and Medicaid. These programs were flawed from the very beginning. They have massive fraud and abuse. They have costs more than projected every year. They fail to pay the full cost of the care to the providers. Medicare is at 80% and Medicaid is at 60%. Those costs are passed on.

[kurd55]

I hear Wisconsin will drop Feingold in the 2010! Wow! Well, we all know that America has the stupidest citizens in the industrialized world. Therefore, Wisconsin must have the stupidest citizens in the country that has the stupidest citizens. Way to go, cheese-heads. LOL! Fuckin' morons.

[computermonkeyman]

Feingold is one of the last honest and real American politicians. He fought against the wars, against the government taking our freedoms (Patriot Act). And.... How does WI repay him? Currently, Ron Johnson, an experienced tea bagger that doesn't believe in science is up in the polls. Here I thought it couldn't get any worse that under Bushco. I was sadly mistaken. I think you can see the ignorance in the posts to this video. We really are American Idiots.

[foxmort]

@computermonkeyman I just shake my head in wonderment still unable to comprehend how people like you can even use any electronic device. Peeps with your beliefs love to be taken care of by any politician with "D" after their name, its easier to not have to work for it

[foxmort]

@computermonkeyman I did ask some europeans which system they prefered, here's their answer. Britain's colon cancer mortality rate, for example, is 40 percent higher than America's; breast cancer 88 percent higher; prostate cancer a staggering 604 percent higher. All those unnecessary deaths unburden the system of patients seeking care.

[stevenapoleon]

You need jobs and business to be succesful in order to pay for it. We people in your home state are fed up with your socialism. Who the hell do you think pays for your damn programs? Us workign guy who start companies....your so far out of phase with us working guy it silly...and I ma actualy around very educated liberals...but enough of it.

[BudWiser999]

Throw out this JEW GOON CAREER PRESIDENT "WANNA BE" OUT IN 2010

[john51880]

Vote for Ron Johnson!

[john51880]

Vote for Ron Johnson!

[NeoConSIayer]

@RudeComment Wow you must be a regular genius...

/sarcasm

[desertdwllr]

I hope that they some form universal coverage, American style, some time in the near future.

[libertarianfreedom17]

Russ likes to vote for symbolically, meaning he knows his vote won't have any consequence. We need to stpo putting career politician/lawers into congress.

[bman546]

I lived in the UK--The care is NOT FREE. The people there are taxed and taxed and taxed. Same with Canada. It isn't actually cheaper. Everuyone just pays with more money taken out of thier paycheck. DUH!

BTW, the USA has a much higher cancer survival rate than the UK and Canada. Why, b/c of early detection and treatment.

[NeoConSIayer]

@bman546 The US spends 14.6% of their GDP on healthcare and the UK spends only 7.7%. Yet the UK STILL has a higher life expectancy and a lower infant mortality rate than the US.

These are called "facts". Maybe you should start basing your opinion upon them. Just a suggestion.

[pietzd]

@NeoConSIayer you need to quit drinking the UN Kool-Aid. If you look into the numbers instead of just swallowing them you will see that the like expectancy is slightly higer here in the US and infant mortality rate is so much lower here in the US, you would truly be embarrassed for even typing that statment.

In additon; the only reason the UN can even try and make that stupid claim is because of medical techniques and drugs developed here in the US and paid for by the citizens of the US.

[NeoConSIayer]

@pietzd Not from the UN dumbass. These stats are from the CIA. search google for "rank order life expectancy" and "rank order infant mortality".

These are the facts. If you want to ignore them then I guess that would make you a republican.

[foxmort]

@NeoConSIayer then if it is such great healthcare coverage, why is the entirety of Europe moving away from cradle to grave socialism?

[NeoConSIayer]

@foxmort Why don't you try asking some Europeans if they would trade their health care system for yours?

[bman546]

@NeoConSIayer-Funny, you didn't even address what I said. I stated the tax rates are considerably higher in the UK, and cancer survival rates are better in the US. Life expectancy does not automatically mean better access to healthcare. The USA is a victim of it's own opulence. The obesity rate being 30%, is just one example. A reason why the USA spends more of GDP on healthcare is because 85% of the USA has better access to better care. Fix what needs to be fixed for the 15%.

[NeoConSIayer]

@bman546

Tax rates are higher in the UK but insurance costs and premiums are lower. Over all people in the UK pay less for health care than people in the US.

The US spends more on health care because their system is FOR PROFIT. Take the mayo clinic for example. It is not for profit and provides some of the best health care in the United States for a lower price.

Cancer mortality is lower in the US than the UK but higher than places like Canada which also has a universal system. (continued)

[NeoConSIayer]

@bman546

I don't think you can entirely blame obesity for the poor health statistics. The UK has an obesity rate of 23% which is roughly the same as the state of Montana. However the UK still has a higher life expectancy and a lower infant mortality rate than this state.

[357th]

What have we learned in 2,064 years? "The budget should be balanced, the treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled, and the assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed lest Rome become bankrupt. People must again learn to work, instead of living on public assistance." Cicero - 55 BC

So.............evidently......­......nothing...

[revolutionaryluddite]

Say what you will about Feingold but he has an Abe Lincoln-like sense of honesty.

[AirborneIdentity]

Why are Americans so scared of public healthcare?

You guys have public roads but I don't see you complaining.

[ZoneDaiatlas]

Universal Heathcare is the worst healthcare system you can get. You get low quality of care, extremely long waits and healthcare is rationed! Why do you think people from countries like England or Canada that has Universal Healthcare come to the US for? Because the quality of care there sucks! They don't get access to superior quality because it's too expensive and they deny people the care they need!

[AirborneIdentity]

I'm from UK and I've never complained about our health system. I quite like it.

[ZoneDaiatlas]

So you like rationed healthcare, extremely long waits and inadequate quality of care?  Wow, God forbid you're diagnose with cancer. It would be a death sentence...

[AirborneIdentity]

I've never been the victim of rationing, extremely long waits, or inadequate quality of health care in UK.

Where are you getting this information?

[canofsand]

I've never been the victim of any of those things in the UK either. Of course, you're no more the only person in the UK than I am a resident there. We get our information directly from people who HAVE had those problems and from data collected by the UK government and credible nonpartisan sources.

[AirborneIdentity]

How can you get a scientific poll of UK if you are only interviewing people who validate your claims?

[canofsand]

AirborneIdentity... what an appropriate handle. Why, just the other day, out of one of your mouths you were telling us how you're a Republican while out of the other you were saying how horrible and racist the GOP is. You have a track record of making up crap, changing your background - your "assumed identity" - as you think best helps you push your closed-minded agenda.

[Gwynne66]

I've lived in both the US and the UK. As a practical matter, healthcare is rationed more in the US that it is in the UK. Is there rationing in both places? Of course there is. Anyone who says different doesn't know what they're talking about. The difference is that in the UK, care is rationed by a person's medical need for the procedure and in the US it is rationed by a person's ability to pay for it.

[AirborneIdentity]

I like UK's a lot better. I lived in Spain and despite all USA's racial animosity towards that country, they have a much better medical system than USA does.

[fixatepvpwow]

i dont think USW(we) have any animosity towards the britts. I really don't know of anyone actually. I think the only country people might not like is the french. but that's mostly because we think they don't like us

[Gwynne66]

Actually, it is worse to be diagnosed with cancer in the US than in the UK or Canada. According to the OECD, you're more likely to die from cancer in the US than in the UK/Canada and you're infinitely more likely to go bankrupt in addition to dying.

[357th]

Lying political hack you don't know shit and are pulling numbers out of your ass. You got it backwards you fucking moron. You are the reason that assclowns like feingold and kohl get elected! Its assclowns like you who vote them in and make wisconsin look like hickville Arkansas. You fucking hack!

AAAAAAAAAH!!!!

[Gwynne66]

No, I'm taking numbers from the OECD. Sorry if you don't like the facts. But since you get all hysterical when I mention them, it is safe to assume that you don't have anything sustantive to say.

[357th]

Hey Liberal hack, ever hear of the VA? Socialized healthcare has a better chance of working with smaller groups. But, your numbers are wrong if you think Canada, Scandanavia or the U.K. have a better system and better care than what we have here. Granted, the system is broken. But, throwing money at a hacked up steamrolled liberal plan will just show how stupid you liberals really are. Keep up the good work. You are really making us average people look very smart.

[Gwynne66]

I've lived in Canada and the UK. I've seen firsthand that they have a better healthcare system than we do. It serves more people and gives them better care for less money.

[libertarianfreedom17]

@Gwynne66

I am not aware of americans going to canada as much as the opposite for health care.

[Gwynne66]

Actually, more Americans go to Canada for healthcare than vice versa. Though, in fairness, that's a bit of a deceptive statistic for a couple of reasons... first of all, there are a lot more Americans than Canadians and second, only rich Canadians can afford to come to the US for care since they would have to pay cash for it (apart from those the government agrees to pay for).

[TarvarisJack7]

You are wrong, actually.

[libertarianfreedom17]

@357th Your right the VA kinda works because it's small enough to not suck us dry. And it's politically correct to fund it really well.

[ohh2clever]

your quite retarded, you keep your socialized medicine to yourself!!! WE DON"T WANT IT HERE!!

[AirborneIdentity]

That's not true. 72% of USA citizens support a government-backed health-care plan.

[revolutionaryluddite]

"Forty-one percent (41%) of American adults believe it would be a good idea to set up a government health insurance company"

- It's fact. Google it.

[357th]

Liar

[Gwynne66]

What universal healthcare systems have you tried? On what do you base your claim that UHC means "low quality of care, extremely long waits and healthcare is rationed"?

[nlolinder]

The fact that Canadian politician come here for health care. Why would they come to a country that has worse health care than they do?

[Gwynne66]

Why? Because they're rich Canadians. On the other hand, there are more Americans who go to Canada for care than there are Canadians who come here.

[nlolinder]

That's bullcrap. Why on earth would a single-payer Canadian hospital cover someone who doesn't live in the country? They aren't paying the excessive taxes, so they wouldn't get the coverage.

[Gwynne66]

I didn't say the Canadian healthcare system covers Americans (by "covers", I mean pays for their treatment), I said it TREATS Americans. They still have to pay for the treatment, but it is a hell of a lot cheaper than treatment in the US.

24 hours stay in a Canadian hospital will cost you about $1,000. How long could you stay in an American hospital for $1,000?

For an American who has no insurance, or whose insurance company has refused to pay for a procedure, that's an important factor.

[nlolinder]

Cheaper means worse care. A doctor who is being paid more will take more care with their patients.

Unless you believe Canadian doctors are fundamentally more ethical than American doctors, then American doctors, who are payed more, are more careful.

[Gwynne66]

Actually, in the case of Canada, cheaper doesn't mean worse care. Overall, Canadians have better healthcare statistics than we do in the US.

In other words, Canadians get better care than Americans and they pay a lot less for it. Why? Because Canadians don't piss away most of their healthcare dollar on bureaucracy like we do in the US.

[Gwynne66]

"They aren't paying the excessive taxes, so they wouldn't get the coverage."

Actually, you're wrong. I've lived and worked in Canada. I kept more of my paycheck in Canada than I do in the US. So if you want to complain about excessive taxes, let's talk about the US.

[kggb94]

Just clinging to my guns and Bible!!

[kggb94]

Because he chopped yours off!

[morgenr]

I must say I appreciate his honesty as well although I don't share his views on healthcare reform.

[ubuibiok]

Medicare and Medicaid ""are"" single payer health care programs , but denied to most Americans by age and income.

We are already paying the cost for emergency and end of Life cost for the uninsured with our payment of Property and sales Taxes . Local County Hospital and Health Clinics are Funded by Taxes.

Single Payer cuts out the middle man, Ins. Co. make a profit by 1 over charging for coverage and 2, Denying to pay claims. HR 676, you get to select "any" Doctor, not just from a list.

[irisojects]

Honesty is great. Certainly Congress needs more of that, but the government in charge of health care is the stuff of bad dreams and certainly will lead to poor health care for all. One only has to look at the abuse of government programs, say Amtrak or a myriad of other programs. I agree with you I do not share his views either and find them dangerous and unsustainable.

[AlNouveau]

Good honest man. Wish he'd run for president. Thank you Senator Feingold.