Bill Moyers on Max Baucus and Senate health insurance reform bill

BILL MOYERS: You know from the news that early next week the Senate Finance Committee is expected to vote on its version of health care reform. And therein lies another story of money and politics.

Polls show the overwhelming majority of Americans favor a non-profit alternative -- like Medicare -- that would give the private health insurance industry some competition. But if so many Americans and the President himself want that public option, how come we're not getting one?

Because, the medicine has been poisoned from day one, in part because of that same revolving door that Congresswoman Kaptur and Simon Johnson were just talking about. Movers and shakers rotate between government and the lucrative private sector at a speed so dizzying they forget who they're working for.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• bill moyers
• max baucus
• senate finance committee
• health care reform
• health insurance
• health
• health insurance reform

[stacekar]

Lobbying should be illegal.

[wrenzil]

Bill Moyers is great, really eye opening and unbiased. Something that is hard to find in todays news coverage.

[Hammersley1967]

Can an American answer this question?

Why doesn't the US government pay for everyone's health care who does not have insurance?

What's the problem?

I'm Australian and my wife underwent a bilateral lung transplant 2 years ago.

We have a combined income of less than $50,000.

The government payed for pre-transplant care, surgery and post transplant care.

The entire cost - which would have been several million.

An its Australia - a far less wealthy country than America...

WHAT'S THE PROBLEM?

[cliffy827]

Maybe the money spent on lobbying could have been used to insure those that can't get insurance? Just a thought.

[cemott3rd]

All forms of for profit insurance should be illegal, it is no different than bookmaking. There should only be insurance co-operatives, where the policy holding members share the risk and the profit.This in turn could pay into a FDIC sort of fund to back it up if there was any problems.

[funkyflights]

@jkiene

OH I"m sorry did a swear BLURB hurt your feeling.... next time I'll use a "bleep" .. Actually I would love a non profit pool that is overseen by the federal government but not necessarily run by them.... We need to cut out the middle man who is like a tape worm sucking all the nutrients from the system called the private insurance companies who only think about PROFIT....

[jkiene]

@funkyflights Funny and weird. You use profanity (Which is typical of Liberals because they can't debate Conservatives successfully and then you try to be respectful (I guess) by using symbols to represent more profanity? Ironic as well that you want private Insurance companies to stay out of healthcare but want something else like big government to control your Healthcare....funny

[funkyflights]

@jkiene

Dude .... Health care is not a choice when the private insurance companies deny individuals with pre existing conditions the option to get there own insurance.. OR just jack up the rates so high they cant buy it .... Fuck private health insurance companies .... let them stick to Auto - Home and life and stay the #$@% outta health care.... There worse than the evil empire in Star Wars....

[funkyflights]

@stacekar

YES Lobbying should be illegal!!! It's criminal the way there bribing our leaders....

[jkiene]

And what did we get? The People of America are forced to purchase a product from the Federal Government. Can the Liberals just stay out of the lives of individuals? Take care of your own family and I'll take care of mine. Government knows best is the liberal way. We'll get busy and vote out all who voted for this takeover of our freedom to choose

[jkiene]

@wrenzil Unbiased? That's a joke. Billy Moyers is the biggest liberal in the liberal media...

[powergirl311]

Please said YES If you are with me, Mr. Max Baucus should be out of the Health Care and / or Financial commitee