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COLEMAN FOR U.S. SENATE PRESS RELEASE: “AL FRANKEN SUPPORTS GOVERNMENT RUN, SINGLE PAYER HEALTH CARE”
By Michael Brodkorb | October 6, 2008
ST. PAUL – As Al Franken continues his false and misleading attacks, the Coleman for Senate campaign today called on Al Franken to repudiate his stance on government run health care, also known as single payer. Franken has said that he “would be thrilled to support such a system,†that he would mandate that every state gets to single payer, and that he would even vote for government run health care if he had the opportunity as Senator.
“Al Franken is the best friend that Canada’s government run health care plan ever had. If you want less choice, more government, and more taxes in health care, Al Franken’s your guy,” said Cullen Sheehan, campaign manager. “His support for government run, single payer health care is downright scary and would bankrupt American taxpayers. Al Franken’s plan to put all kids in a single-payer, tax-payer funded system, regardless of their parent’s income, would cost over $300 billion over five years[i]. Minnesotans don’t want Washington bureaucrats telling them which doctor to go to, they want, and should have, the freedom to pick the health care plan and the doctor that’s best for them. Al Franken needs to repudiate his extremist position on government run health care.”
Franken Wholeheartedly Supports Government Run, Single Payer Health Care:
“Would Be Thrilled To Support†Single Payer. “A single-payer system would be the most effective in terms of reducing administrative costs, and I would be thrilled to support such a system.†(“Health Care,†http://www.alfranken.com/pages/health_care/, accessed October 6, 2008)
Wants To Mandate Single Payer. Franken: “This is how I’d like to do it, I want to dictate, to mandate that every state gets to single payer. We can pay for it by raising taxes on the top one and a half percent and rescinding the tax cuts.†(Al Franken, Golden Valley DFL Senate Debate, September 5, 2007)
Would Vote For Single Payer Legislation. Franken: “I know a couple things: I’m not going to be the President and I’m not going to be the chairman of the heath care committee. If a national single payer program came to the floor, I would vote for it.†(“Q&A with Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer and Al Franken CD8. Part 3,†YouTube, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=me3de6_lS8Y&feature=related, accessed October 1, 2008)
Norm Coleman’s 10 Step Proposal To Ensure Access To Affordable Health Care
Guarantee Access to Affordable Health Insurance
To create an affordable, portable and consumer-friendly health insurance market, we must first level the playing field between people who get health insurance through an employer and those who choose to buy insurance on their own. This plan would:
· Level the playing field for individuals and families who buy insurance on their own by providing a health insurance tax deduction;
· Provide an adjustable tax credit for lower income families that can go directly to the private insurer of their choice;
· Ensure that each state has a low-cost option for young people and limited variations in health insurance premiums;
· Guarantee access to health insurance for people who need it the most by prohibiting insurers from turning people down based on pre-existing conditions.
Promote Personal Responsibility in Health Care Decisions
Informed consumers make better health care decisions. When someone goes to buy a car, they typically learn as much as they can about their options before setting foot in the dealership. Shouldn’t we treat health care decisions the same way? This plan would:
· Require each state to create a health care exchange that would provide consumers with information on the cost and quality of medical procedures, providers and insurance options;
· Create an independent health insurance review board to develop a basic benefit package that meets peoples’ needs without unnecessarily driving up the cost of health insurance;
· Promote increased health care literacy, so patients can be informed and confident health care consumers.
Enact Meaningful Medical Liability Reform
Frivolous lawsuits are driving up the cost of health care and forcing good doctors out of business, especially in rural areas. While we must prevent medical errors and make sure patients have legal remedies, our current medical liability system is better suited to benefit trial lawyers. This plan would:
· Impose sanctions for frivolous lawsuits and cap the amount of non-economic damages in medical liability suits;
· Ensure a greater portion of medical liability awards go to the patient;
· Give providers a safe and secure way to exchange information about medical errors, so we can learn from our mistakes and prevent errors in the future.
Support Preventive Medicine and Wellness
All too often, federal programs like Medicare and Medicaid focus on treating people when they are sick, rather than preventing the illness in the first place. We can significantly lower the overall cost of care by increasing our focus on prevention and encouraging adults and children to live healthier lives. This plan would:
· Lower, or in some cases eliminate, Medicare co-pays for effective screenings and preventive procedures;
· Promote the “Medical Home” model, where primary care physicians are reimbursed for coordinating patients’ care and managing different treatment options;
· Ensure children receive nutritional lunches in school and engage in healthy activities.
Adopt Interoperable Health Information Technology (HIT)
By promoting secure health information technology (HIT) we can improve our quality of care, while also preventing costly, duplicative tests and reducing medical errors. HIT will also help doctors and other health care providers to more efficiently share information and coordinate high-quality care. This plan would:
· Create a fixed timeline for the federal government to develop interoperable HIT and privacy standards, so health information could be securely shared between providers;
· Make the Office of the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology a permanent federal office;
· Provide startup grants to promote widespread use of HIT, putting an emphasis on rural providers;
· Reform the current restrictions that prevent hospitals from providing technology to physician practices.
Enact Small Business Health Insurance Reform
In order to remain globally competitive, we must support our nation’s small businesses. Family-owned small businesses are the backbone of the U.S. economy, but they continue to feel the pressure of rising health care costs. One of the simplest ways to lower the number of uninsured is to allow small businesses to provide more affordable health care options for their employees. This plan would:
· Provide a tax credit to businesses that make a minimum contribution to their employees’ health insurance coverage.
· Create state-based and regional small business health insurance pools to spread risk more broadly;
· Encourage states to adopt similar health insurance rating rules and reduce mandates to lower the overall cost of insurance and promote stable small business health insurance markets.
Pay For Value Rather Than Volume
Paying for value will not only lower health care spending, but also improve the overall quality of care delivered. This is particularly important for high-quality rural providers that are at a significant disadvantage when it comes to adequate payments rates. By rewarding value, we can make sure the quality of your health care does not depend on your zip code. This plan would:
· Determine appropriate quality measurements and best practices by working with health care providers and researchers;
· Create incentives for doctors that follow certain provider-approved guidelines;
· To promote coordinated care, I would have Medicare begin paying one bundled payment to hospitals and physicians for treating certain acute conditions.
Increase Our Investment in Medical Research
Medical research not only improves lives, but also saves money. Whether it is a breakthrough cure or promising new treatment, investing in science is always a wise investment. That is why we must recommit to funding medical advancement at federal agencies and universities throughout the country. This plan would:
· Continue to support increased funding at the National Institutes of Health (NIH);
· Prioritize funding for costly diseases like cancer, diabetes and heart disease, while also making sure researchers have the flexibility to study promising treatments for lesser-known conditions;
· Ensure that the NIH develops our next generation of researchers by allocating a certain amount of funding for young scientists;
· Create a comparative-effectiveness institute at NIH that could provide grants to researchers and providers throughout the country to determine the most effective medical treatments.
Develop a Sustainable Long-Term Care System
The cost of long-term care places a serious financial strain on a growing number of American families. We need to develop a more sustainable, private long-term care system that allows seniors to enjoy the dignity of independent living, but also provides a stable funding source for seniors in need of more intensive care. This plan would:
· Allow individuals to establish tax-free savings accounts to pay long-term care insurance premiums and fund other long-term care needs. Individuals that designate a certain portion of their income to these accounts would receive a tax credit totaling 10 percent of their annual contribution;
· Allow seniors to enjoy the dignity of independent living by continuing to support Medicare and Medicaid programs and medical technologies that promote home and community-based treatments.
Eliminate Waste, Fraud and Abuse In Federal Programs
Bridging off of Senator Coleman’s investigations that have uncovered billions of dollars in Medicare and Medicaid fraud, this plan would:
· Increase penalties for criminals that commit Medicare and Medicaid fraud;
· Improve federal oversight over contractors that certify and pay federal health care claims and increase the number of site visits to confirm the legitimacy of health care providers;
· Provide doctors and patients with monthly audits similar to credit card statements to confirm the accuracy of the services they provided.
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34 Responses to “COLEMAN FOR U.S. SENATE PRESS RELEASE: “AL FRANKEN SUPPORTS GOVERNMENT RUN, SINGLE PAYER HEALTH CARE””
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October 6th, 2008 at 2:46 PM
Franken’s single payer system would be a goddam nightmare. It trades quality for access without improving costs.
The net result would be lower-quality care, longer waits and a transfer of payments to government… which by definition means inefficiency, waste, fraud and abuse.
Worse, it eliminates any incentive for individuals to manage their health. Just like welfare makes it easy for the lazy to remain unemployed, universal healthcare will ensure the lazy stay fat as well.
This is just another power-play to replace American Democracy with a failed socialist system… and for what?
Just between 8 and 15 million Americans don’t have health insurance. That’s no reason to destroy the country.
October 6th, 2008 at 3:03 PM
Liberals like to bitch about the myth that someone “politicized” hiring of political appointees at the justice department. Meanwhile, they’re misleading the public in their call to politicize healthcare.
October 6th, 2008 at 3:03 PM
Liberals like to bitch about the myth that someone “politicized” hiring of political appointees at the justice department. Meanwhile, they’re misleading the public in their call to politicize your visit to the doctor.
October 6th, 2008 at 3:10 PM
Once again Bustnuts is getting his numbers from Fox, Rush, and the NCPA.
No sane individual, including the top of your ticket, honestly believes your uninsured numbers.
October 6th, 2008 at 3:12 PM
PlymouthDem, those numbers are just the facts. It ain’t my fault that the Left has been allowed to lie mercilessly about it for so long, unchallenged.
The idea that there are 47 million Americans who lack health insurance is a lie; a huge lie; a big goddam bald-faced lie. It’s hogwash; not an ounce of truth to it.
October 6th, 2008 at 3:16 PM
In fact, shit for brains liberals like Al Franken only compound the LIE when they say that those without insurance lack “healthcare.”
That’s like saying I transportation because I lack car insurance.
It’s bullshit.
October 6th, 2008 at 3:21 PM
This campaign is pitiful.
October 6th, 2008 at 3:28 PM
Fucking liberal U.S. Census, CDC, HHS, and CBO.
October 6th, 2008 at 3:51 PM
[...] unknown wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptEnsure that each state has a low-cost option for young people and limited variations in health insurance premiums;. · Guarantee access to health insurance for people who need it the most by prohibiting insurers from turning people down … [...]
October 6th, 2008 at 4:03 PM
“Fucking liberal U.S. Census, CDC, HHS, and CBO.”
Each of those entities catalog “people in America” without health insurance. Liberals LIE when they say 47 million AMERICANS. It’s not the same thing.
Moreover, the liberal LIE fails to recognize the fact that the majority of those without health insurance CHOOSE not to buy it.
It’s a goddam LIE to pretend that there are 47 million AMERICANS who lack health insurance because they can’t afford it.
There are only between 8 and 15 million in that class… not enough people to destroy the country over.
October 6th, 2008 at 4:26 PM
Let’s assume for a moment that you are right that a big chunk is immigrants: here’s a news flash, they still get sick and drain health care resources. You, therefore, need to have a solution to open the door so that they, especially if they are working and paying taxes, can access preventative care to reduce chronic health care costs.
You can’t dispute that 47 million PEOPLE are uninsured (although, I realize that most republicans don’t view you are a person unless you are AMERICAN in all caps.)
October 6th, 2008 at 5:24 PM
Let’s assume, for a moment, that ol’ Smokescreen is getting his ass kicked in this race….
Hey! Ol’ Smokescreen IS getting his ass kicked!
And so is Paulsen!!!
You rightwingnuts better be prayin’ for Kline and BatShitCrazyWoman….
October 6th, 2008 at 5:32 PM
“Let’s assume for a moment that you are right that a big chunk is immigrants.”
There’s no assuming anything. 13 million of the 47 million number is ILLEGAL immigrants.
“Here’s a news flash, they still get sick and drain health care resources.”
Yep, you’re right. Everyone who lacks health insurance can still receive health care. Thus proving my point that nobody lacks “healthcare.”
“You, therefore, need to have a solution to open the door so that they, especially if they are working and paying taxes, can access preventative care to reduce chronic health care costs.”
Most of them can buy something on the open market. Most of them choose not to. There’s no need for another multi-billion dollar government expansion.
“You can’t dispute that 47 million PEOPLE are uninsured (although, I realize that most republicans don’t view you are a person unless you are AMERICAN in all caps.)”
I never disputed that. But the Liberal LIE is that the 47 million are AMERICANS who CAN’T AFFORD health insurance. That’s two lies in one sentence. The number is 33 million Americans without health insurance, and between 8 and 15 million who “can’t afford it.”
It’s a big fucking lie. And it’s a lie that’s told to scare people to a big socialist power grab. Nothing more.
October 6th, 2008 at 5:40 PM
“You, therefore, need to have a solution to open the door so that they, especially if they are working and paying taxes, can access preventative care to reduce chronic health care costs.”
And one more thing. No you don’t need a solution for anything, much less a huge government run program that reduces the quality and efficacy of healthcare services for every American.
October 6th, 2008 at 5:43 PM
“Yep, you’re right. Everyone who lacks health insurance can still receive health care. Thus proving my point that nobody lacks “healthcare.—
Yes, you are right, if someone shows up at an emergency room at the brink of death, they are entitled to health care. That’s not health insurance, that’s health inefficiency. If those individuals had access to preventative medicine (prenatal care, preventative screening, etc.) costs would significantly decline. That’s the point. Stop having chronic only medicine that is multitudes more expensive.
October 6th, 2008 at 6:33 PM
Comrade “Angry Al” supports “Hillarycare socialized medicine! I have AIG auto insurance, Aren’t all you liberal progressive democrats worries that I am now careening around with “Hillarydrive” socialized auto insurance?
October 6th, 2008 at 6:42 PM
“If those individuals had access to preventative medicine (prenatal care, preventative screening, etc.) costs would significantly decline.”
That’s the point. They DO have access to preventative medicine and screening. Moreover, more than two thirds of those without insurance don’t have insurance because they choose not to buy it, not for any other reason.
Guess what, if I don’t buy house insurance and my house burns down, I’m fucked. Nobody expects government to bail me out. If you can afford health insurance, just as 2/3 of the “uninsured” can, and they don’t buy insurance, then you should degrade the quality of my healthcare because of their stupidity.
The fact is, most people without coverage voluntarily opt not to have health coverage. It is an absolute LIE that there are 47 million Americans without health insurance.
And it is not destroying the country for the 8 million who legitimately can’t get health insurance. There are other, more effective and better ways to address THAT issue.
October 6th, 2008 at 6:45 PM
Keep in mind that “erectile dysfunction drugs are covered by Medicare and Medicade. (Crank up the violins) “Somewhere is America an elderly couple has to decide “food or Viagra!”.
October 6th, 2008 at 6:46 PM
“if those individuals had access to preventative medicine …costs would significantly decline…. Stop having chronic only medicine that is multitudes more expensive.”
And more over, 89 percent of Americans HAVE health insurance, and have the best access to preventative care. Yet costs are out of control.
Clearly, the uninsured have little to do with the cost of healthcare services.
Insuring the uninsured will have ZERO effect on lowering healthcare costs.
October 6th, 2008 at 7:09 PM
Here are a couple simple facts that will remain out of the grasp of liberals so long as their thirst for socialism and power overrides their sense of reason:
1) Education doesn’t need more money. It needs more parental involvement.
2) Healthcare doesn’t need government intervention. It requires people to take better care of themselves.
Until individuals start taking responsibility for themselves, nothing will get better. Government only incents bad behavior and gives people more reasons to fail as individuals.
October 6th, 2008 at 8:37 PM
My butt is starting to hurt from the bailout ‘ol Normy voted for, in spite of 6 to 1 calls for him to vote against it. Now? The piglets are starting to form a line at the bailout hog trough!
October 6th, 2008 at 10:45 PM
Here’s another lie you can believe, Chesty!! Norm’s not quite ready to get on on board the McCain Straight Talk Express regarding McCain’s Health Care Plan..
Here is how John McCain, if elected, plans to pay for his bogus $5,000 Tax Credit for Families to purchase Health Care on the open market.
If elected, McCain plan’s tax credits would cost $1.3 trillion over 10 years — and the McCain campaign insists it can account for every penny, and that the plan would be budget-neutral. Where would that money come from?
McCain plans massive cuts to Medicare and Medicaid to pay for his Tax Credits.
Douglas Holtz-Eakin, Sen. McCain’s senior policy adviser, said Sunday that the campaign has always planned to fund the tax credits, in part, with massive cuts to Medicare and Medicaid. Those government health-care programs serve seniors, poor families and the disabled. Medicare spending for the fiscal year ended Sept. 30 is estimated at $457.5 billion.
If you think a McCain administration is going to find $1.3 trillion in Medicare and the Medicaid programs by making budget cuts, without reducing benefits: then I’ve got a bridge in Alaska I’d like to sell you.
I mentioned this to my elderly Mother who is bleeding slowly from somewhere in her body. She was not overly pleased to hear this. She needs a procedure done to find the source of bleeding or she will slowly die. The holdup is with Medicare because of her pre-existing condition. She is on a fixed income and cannot afford an additional Insurance Plan.
I am sure this plan will go over well with Seniors in states like Florida, Arizona, Texas where many Seniors who are retired, live.
October 7th, 2008 at 9:53 AM
Oh God kathy, you’re dumber than I gave you credit for.
Now, I think Walz’ leg is getting lonely. Why don’t you go give a good humping for old time’s sake.
October 7th, 2008 at 9:59 AM
“If elected, McCain plan’s tax credits would cost $1.3 trillion over 10 years — and the McCain campaign insists it can account for every penny, and that the plan would be budget-neutral. Where would that money come from?”
It comes from the taxes then levied when the health benefits your work pays for are taxes as income, dummy.
It is budget neutral.
“McCain plans massive cuts to Medicare and Medicaid to pay for his Tax Credits.”
Good. And anyone who needs to purchase private insurance to replace that coverage will receive an equal tax deduction.
Why to you stupid fucking liberals have such a hard time with individuals having control of their lives?
First you bitch because Medicare might be cut and your mother could buy a better insurance plan, then you bitch because Medicare is fucking up your mother’s health care.
You’re far dumber than I give you credit for kathy. Dumber than a bag of hammers.
October 7th, 2008 at 10:50 AM
Oh Chesty, you are so eloquent. Now I know who Gov. Sarah Palin’s Speech Coach is.
October 7th, 2008 at 10:50 AM
Oh Chesty, you are so eloquent. Now I know who Gov. Sarah Palin’s Speech Coach is.
October 7th, 2008 at 11:28 AM
Oh kathy, you’re so f’n stupid. Now I know who coaches Joe Biden.
October 7th, 2008 at 12:20 PM
At least Joe the facts from his vast “experience” from his years in the Senate!!
Poor Gov. Palin has shown that she is an insult to Hockey Moms and Pit Bulls everywhere.
October 7th, 2008 at 12:27 PM
Interesting that the same folks who rail against single payer healthcare insurance as “socialism” also often favor nuclear power. But the nuclear industry would not exist without the government supplying disaster insurance, which private industry declines to do.
So why is single-payer government supplied insurance OK for nuclear power but not for healthcare?
October 7th, 2008 at 12:29 PM
“At least Joe the facts from his vast “experience†from his years in the Senate!!”
You serious? I mean, I agree that Gov. Palin is 400 percent better qualified than Barak Obama, but at least she’s the secondary on the GOP ticket.
Beyond that, the idea that Joe Biden has a grasp on facts is past hilarious. That mentally challenged boob can’t exhale without telling a lie, plagiarizing or displaying his abject ignorance of all things from economic to foreign policy. Holy Hanna!
His performance last week was appalling. I didn’t know it was possible to be so stupid, wrong and dishonest for that length of time.
October 7th, 2008 at 1:33 PM
Great story on Norm here:
http://tinyurl.com/3vtxrb
October 7th, 2008 at 1:44 PM
Funny thing is, they forgot this one:
http://tinyurl.com/3m5ono
October 11th, 2008 at 9:38 PM
[...] that “if a national single payer program came to the floor, I would vote for it.” Click here for a press release from Coleman’s campaign on Franken’s documented support for a [...]
October 22nd, 2008 at 12:29 AM
[...] coleman for us senate press release: “al franken supports … create a comparative-effectiveness institute at nih that could provide grants to researchers and providers throughout the country to determine the most effective medical treatments. develop a sustainable long-term care system … [...]