For single payer advocates only.

[Cleita]

Anyone who feels like I do that insurance companies have no business in our basic health care other than coverage for bells and whistles, how do we get rid of them? Apparently the public option to compete with them and thus drive them out of business has been co-opted by our corporate whore congress and now the public option isn't going to be allowed to compete with them. So much for free market competition and all that jazz. Okay, maybe we need to go the civil law way and start suing them for every claim and coverage denied. We also need to sue our government representatives for every person who dies without access to health care. Maybe at least counties might start reopening the county hospitals that are last resort for the poor. Maybe we need to go local and pass laws that they must charge the same premium for everyone regardless of age and past medical history and that they cover everything with no deductibles and co-pays. They can withdraw from the market and let the public option take over. Well, this is long run planning.

Short run, we need to get active and protest them. Demonstrations in front of their offices and picket lines telling them to get out of the business. I'm really angry that our government seems to be run by private industry lobbyists. Our elected representatives aren't going to run them out of dodge so apparently it's going to be up to us.
Any lawyers out there who might want to start doing some pro-bono class action lawsuits for patients who have been wronged by our insurance, HMO and PhRMA industries? Well think about it. It looks like voting isn't going to get us health care rights, so we might have to look doing it the way they would do it to us if the shoe were on the other foot.

[Joanne98]

1. K&R

[Taverner]

2. I would love to see Health Insurance providers go away

However, that will not be easy

And with politicians being politicians, I don't expect them to put their cash cows out of business.

So how do you stop a business successfully? You have to make the market conditions prohibitive to their business. This has already happened for newspapers, although it wasn't our doing but someone elses'- but the conditions were artificially created to make it cost-prohibitive for them to stay alive. Do the same thing for Health Insurance providers and you win.

BTW...it is only the Health Insurance providers that want single payer out of the picture - surely your employer would rather not be saddled with this cost, and would rather it be paid for some other way.

[Cleita]

3. It's that whole insurance, HMO and PhRMA traded on Wall Street crowd

that needs to go. Sure if everyone burned their insurance card and refused to buy any premiums anymore that would do it, but I don't think this would be a very popular idea unless there was something to replace it. It was our hope the public option could do this, but Congress has taken the wind out of those sails.

[Taverner]

7. Not necessarily

What if conditions were unfavorable in some other aspect?

Granted, I have no idea what that would be - but attack from the side, and you might have a chance

[Breeze54]

4. F'n A++++

:woohoo:

:kick: & Recommended!

[superduperfarleft]

10. That's funny.

This is exactly what I'm proposing. You're the one in that other thread calling for Romneycare for the rest of us.

[superduperfarleft]

13. :crickets:

[bobbolink]

5. 1. Publicize how much each congresscritter receives from the "health" industry.

2. Find out the 16 obstructionists, and put up billboards in their districts about what they are doing.

Maybe the 76% who wants single payer would then rebel.

Or not.

There's so much apathy....

[redqueen]

6. I think the problem is cynicism, not apathy.

Lots of people care, they just feel like no matter what we do, we're gonna get screwed.

[bobbolink]

9. I meet apathy trying to discuss it. You meet cynicism. Do you see any different outcome?

Does the cynicism get us further?

[Joey Liberal]

8. Health Insurance providers should be illegal nt

[Cleita]

14. They should be because they violate human rights, but until our

lawmakers make the right to health care a human right and make health care for profit illegal, it's not going to make them give up this cash cow.

[Joey Liberal]

19. You got that right:).................... nt

[marmar]

11. Exactly. Emails, phone calls and letters to the corporate Congress are all but worthless.....

..... It's going to require some direct in-your-face action, protests, interruptions, jamming phone lines, video cameras etc.
The only real solution is to remove insurance companies from the equation.

[xchrom]

12. +1

[dgibby]

15. What's the chance we could go after them for money laundering

or something like taking money under false pretenses? We "hire" them to pay for needed care. They deny that care, but take the money, which then ends up in some Congressional Fat Cat's pocket.

[Cleita]

17. That's where it would take lawyers to find out where they crossed the law.

Catching them laundering money, now that would be a coup, providing there are politicians willing to launch and investigation with the right evidence.

[swilton]

16. I'll take you one further

I think we should cancel our health insurance plans - the monthly premiums we pay could go to health care costs.

[Cleita]

18. That would do the job if everyone did it, but many people can't afford to

take the chance or are too fearful to. However, what some people pay monthly pays for a yearly exam. The rest of the eleven months are profit for the insurers. Also, with the deductibles you pay out of pocket, you are lucky if you ever can make a claim to get some of your money back.