Will America finally catch up with the rest of the civilized world when it comes to medical care?  Has the time finally come?  Maybe.

Photo by Stevebott

In the news today, this: Sen. Edward Kennedy’s health committee has actually gotten around to circulating a draft bill that would , if passed, (BIG if)  give all Americans health insurance.

Everyone would have to get insurance…those who can’t afford it would be provided subsidies. Most interesting would be the creation of a public, “affordable access” plan, says an Associated Press dispatch. It would provide “government sponsored health care to Americans not eligible for Medicare, Medicaid or other programs,” reports the A.P.

Private insurance companies, of course, are running scared (which means spending more on lobbyists to defeat this) that they would have to compete with a government run program which would drive health care costs lower!  Imagine that. Lower. No wonder the insurance companies want to see this bill DOA.

But Kennedy, who is suffering from brain cancer, may just get this measure (or one close enough to it) passed and onto the president’s desk by the end of this summer.

If he does this, he would have done more as a U.S. Senator than the last five presidents combined to help the American public do battle with one of the main causes of economic misery in this country.

People who lose their jobs, lose their health insurance. People who want to move for a better job, worry about loss of coverage. Employers worry about hiring people because they have to spend so much on health insurance.

Under Kennedy’s plan, people would have the right to go to any doctor they wish, while insurers would be required to offer care even to those with pre-existing conditions…something they usually do not do now.

Good for Ted!

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