Sen. Bernie Sanders: Health Care Is a Right, Not a Privilege

Independent U.S. Senator from Vermont

June 8, 2009

Health Care Is a Right, Not a Privilege

Let's be clear. Our health care system is disintegrating. Today, 46 million people have no health insurance and even more are underinsured with high deductibles and co-payments. At a time when 60 million people, including many with insurance, do not have access to a medical home, more than 18,000 Americans die every year from preventable illnesses because they do not get to the doctor when they should. This is six times the number who died at the tragedy of 9/11 - but this occurs every year.

In the midst of this horrendous lack of coverage, the U.S. spends far more per capita on health care than any other nation - and health care costs continue to soar. At $2.4 trillion dollars, and 18 percent of our GDP, the skyrocketing cost of health care in this country is unsustainable both from a personal and macro-economic perspective.

At the individual level, the average American spends about $7,900 per year on health care. Despite that huge outlay, a recent study found that medical problems contributed to 62 percent of all bankruptcies in 2007. From a business perspective, General Motors spends more on health care per automobile than on steel while small business owners are forced to divert hard-earned profits into health coverage for their employees - rather than new business investments. And, because of rising costs, many businesses are cutting back drastically on their level of health care coverage or are doing away with it entirely.

Further, despite the fact that we spend almost twice as much per person on health care as any other country, our health care outcomes lag behind many other nations. We get poor value for what we spend. According to the World Health Organization the United States ranks 37th in terms of health system performance and we are far behind many other countries in terms of such important indices as infant mortality, life expectancy and preventable deaths.

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Sen. Bernie Sanders: Health Care Is a Right, Not a Privilege

Doesn't sound much like an independent to me.He finally got to the real point,Nationalized Health Care, funded by tax payers and says himself it will be hard. I agree something has to be done,what, I'm not sure,but I'm also not sold on NHC programs either, funded by taxpayers that support a program they aren't sure of themselves.

Why not regulate health care? Purchase the coverage you need and balance the rest that are unable to pay.Medicare is a lost cause for most people our age,just like social security.Will it be there when we get to the age to need it. My guess is, no.

The big problem is there going to be qualified doctors to support it.Are specialist going to be involved. The problem that a lot of people in the Canadian Health care Program is in the special needs area. I'm not talking about adults and children with retardation or muscular deceases,instead, the folks with heart problems,liver transplants and such.

In NHC programs these folks very rarely make it.Because of waiting lists,the rich paying to "jump ahead" and special favors.I think if we can find a way to regulate the health care system we have now, it will work. It has been let to run amok and doctors allowed to overcharge for services rendered.

Ranger, it was a good post and link,but as for myself,and maybe yourself,I have a problem with politicians that explain their agenda and end it with,"It's going to be tough,it's going to be hard".Especially when they play with our money.

Regulate the insurance companies and health care industry,that they don't charge for ridiculous health issues.That's my opinion.

Bernie Sanders is a dope.

Why does the avg American spend $7900 on healthcare, because of govt not because of lack of govt. Govt puts mandates on every policy that drive up the costs of that policy. There is no portability of policies because govt wont allow it. You cannot sell a PA policy in NJ and vise versa.
There is only one way I would get behind the nationalization of HI, they go first. Sanders, go wait at the clinic for treatment. Kennedy, no running to Duke for your tumor, you go to the clinic in your district. These people are all hypocrites they want for you what is not good enough for them. This is like the public vs private school arguement. Yes, all the politicans support public schools, then send their kids to private schools. Same thing here, they all want Nationalized medicine, for the people not for them. It will cost too much and when the program is not properly funded or runs out of money mid-year, what happens, rationing.
With the you can keep yours but we offer this plan for the poor, that wont work either. They tried that in Hawaii, people stopped paying for their own and got on the public plan:

Hot Air » Blog Archive » Shock: People take advantage of free government health care

Once again these people refuse to look at the past before trying to determine the future.
How do they plan on paying for this (I know cost is no object for the BHO administration) a VAT. I thought 95% of working Americans would get a tax decrease, a VAT effects everyone.
Why destroy a system that services 85% of Americans for a system that will attempt to cover 100% of Americans on a less effective level

Poll: Health care costs too expensive, Americans say - CNN.com

Like I have said, the system is broken, Bubba. Maybe 85 percent have a plan but the copays, deductables and premiums are high and getting higher. Soon it will be 70 percent since so many are out of work or had wage cuts.

There needs to be a government administered basic health care program, like Canada. If one has the means, one could either purchase, or obtain from ones employment better coverage.

The doctors aren't going to go away, but they will have to start living like normal people, not the overpaid gods that they have become.

You and I will be long gone from this place before doctors start living like normal people.