To the left, to the left
Obama calls for universal health care insurance.
Every American should have health care coverage within six years, Democratic Sen. Barack Obama said Thursday as he set an ambitious goal soon after jumping into the 2008 presidential race.
“The time has come for universal health care in America,” Obama said at a conference of Families USA, a health care advocacy group.
“I am absolutely determined that by the end of the first term of the next president, we should have universal health care in this country,” the Illinois senator said.
January 26th, 2007 at 12:27 am
First he has to present a plan that is cost effective and won’t allow for people to sit around waiting for months to have basic medical procedures done (which is what happened to my sister’s father in law in England. He had to wait SIX MONTHS for a friggin’ MRI!). Then, he has to cut funding to various governmental projects so that a) taxes don’t go through the roof and b) he still works on reducing the deficit.
Since he’ll be lucky to cover one of those three things if he gets elected, I won’t be hoping he pulls it off.
January 26th, 2007 at 1:16 am
The efficiency of the post office with the cost controls of the department of defense and the compassion of the IRS. With apologies to the tanned, rested, and ready Newt.
January 26th, 2007 at 10:54 am
“The time has come for universal health care in America…” He must need a new watch.
January 26th, 2007 at 1:40 pm
An MRI is not a basic medical procedure. I have no problem with people, including myself, having to wait 6 months for an MRI if it means everyone who needs it has the ability to get one eventually.
January 27th, 2007 at 9:35 am
“I have no problem with people, including myself, having to wait 6 months for an MRI…”
Yes, because when it comes to identifying cancer in the early stages where the individual has a fighting chance, time, it ain’t no big thing.
January 27th, 2007 at 8:47 pm
Was your father-in-law’s MRI to help diagnose cancer? I admit my initial reaction was thinking of the two times MRIs were prescribed for myself — both for joint/spine accident injuries. Waiting for the MRI would not have changed the outcome of the condition.
Nevertheless, I do believe that more lives would be saved if everyone who really needs it had eventual access than if those who can afford it have immediate access.
And finally, I didn’t say that an MRI is not an incredibly useful tool, but that it is not a basic medical procedure. It’s incredibly expensive, and relatively new. Your father-in-law might have had to wait 6 months to get one in England, but if he were uninsured in the US, he probably wouldn’t have been prescribed one in the first place.