The point was for the bill to pay for itself. That is, be neutral towards the deficit. This isn't a deficit reduction bill. It's a universal health care bill.
Democrats achieved the goal of paying for the bill with a little room to spare. The $1.2 trillion we will save between 2019 and 2029 if the bill passes is equally small, but again: that's not the point.
I know we disagree on this bill, but let's at least agree with Brian Unger and not refer to it as a 'universal healthcare bill'.
You can make some reasonable arguments on what it is, but it's not 'universal healthcare'.
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Damn right about France, but we shouldn't even bring them into the discussion! A mandate for single payer vs. a mandate for private insurance couldn't be more different.
But we've already covered that.
I don't think the 95% figure is quite accurate. Wikipedia says 95% but http://prescriptions.blogs. nytimes.com/2009/09/11/heal th-care-abroad-france/?page mode=print Says over 99% http://www.nyu.edu/projects /rodwin/french.htmlAgain, over 99%http://healthcare.change.or g/blog/view/5_questions_abo ut_french_health_careThe Healing of America by T.R. Reid (p.53)says the last 1% received coverage in 2000.And 92% of french also have private plans as well, so they are basically covered twice for half the cost of here and their waiting times are about the same as ours. Just imagine if France spent the same amount we do, but with their system. It'd be a medical Utopia.
I am completely fine calling this a "health insurance reform" bill. I agree with Brian Unger on this. It is not a "health care reform" bill. That would require many more reforms
But these reforms of the insurance market result in a Universal Health Care System. The system isn't a public one, but one run by private insurance companies. Never the less, it is very very very close to universal coverage. It is the system proposed by Clinton, Edwards and Obama.
We won't save anything.
If you think health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it costs when it's "free."
