Could we sell the right Nixon's health care reform?

[gmoney]

Pretty interesting article about Nixon's efforts to provide a public option, etc. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/index.php?curid=2951129

Robert Scheer on KCRW's "Left Right and Center" show a week or two back said he'd "kill to have Nixon's plan passed." Indeed, in that odd way that Nixon would be considered a "liberal" by today's standards (environmental protection, etc.) the Nixon plan doesn't seem half-bad from the description in that article.

"Nixon's Comprehensive Health Insurance Plan (CHIP) consisted of an employer-mandate and a separate program designed to help the working poor and unemployed. The plan required employers to funnel 65% of employee health costs, eventually it would be 75%. Along with the mandates, a "system of subsidies" would be established for smaller businesses with less health options. Anyone not covered by the employer-mandate would be insured under the Assisted Health Insurance Program (AHIP) which included a combination of copayments, deductibles, and annual ceilings."

Of course, Nixon also thought that HMO's would represent part of a solution, not make the problems worse.

Also odd to note in this article that a lot of the reform efforts basically didn't happen because of scandals involving the proponents... while this was going on, Ted Kennedy's Chapaquiddick incident occurred, then the Wilbur Mills public drunkenness and stripper escapades, then Watergate.

I'm sure this will sink like a stone, but thought it was interesting just how long this issue has been on the table, and how little progress has been made in 35+ years...

[gateley]

1. We shouldn't have to SELL the Right anything! Just get it done like the Republicans

did to us for 8 years!

And that being said, I don't think we could sell the Right anything. Even if it was a Ronald Reagan Health Care Plan, they'd oppose it. It's not really about any individual issues, it's about racism and the fear and hatred that engenders.

[GreenTea]

2. Very intersting thought - A real health care proposal by a republicans...But

we all know it's more than just health care, republicans want Obama & the democrats to fail.

Republicans love the huge gigantic impersonal corporate monopolies controlling and draining the peoples income

Republicans despise doing anything for the American workers and people even with the peoples own tax dollars they prefer it going back in subsidies & wars of imperialism to the corporations....

Finally, republicans just don't give a shit about the poor workers or the middle class.

Yes, Nixon's "Comprehensive Health Insurance Plan" looks awfully good right now....republicans today led by pigman Limbaugh hating types are much uglier, hateful, greedier & selfish and will lie, distort and smear rather than help anyone, if one is a minority, a woman, gay or even a vet forget it....the republican simply want to keep the Bush corporate fascist status quo for themselves for are the wealthy, and their profits making corporations.

[leftstreet]

3. Oh that's nothing! Nixon wanted a Guaranteed Minimum Income

If you get a chance, read "The Politics of a Guaranteed Income," by Daniel Moynihan.

[NotThisTime]

4. Kennedy was against this plan, and afterwards was sorry that he was as it would have advanced his

cause, and he could work off of it in future years. Only after it went down did he come to regret it, those are his words.

[AllyCat]

5. Really? What about that sound bite in Sicko of Tricky Dick saying he thought

Kaiser's new plan to make money by denying claims was a good strategy? Maybe I don't remember it right. Anyone?

[notesdev]

6. The employer mandate is a job and wage killer

That money comes right out of worker salaries whether they realize it or not.

A person's health care should have NO tie to their employment status. There is no relationship between what kind of work a person does and whether they deserve proper health care.

[AllyCat]

7. hear hear!!

[Echo In Light]

8. +2

[YellaDog1950]

9. I read that article just last night.....

and my first thought was "look how many years we've been at this."

I agree with another poster.....Why should we be trying to sell this to the Republicans? We've had a few years of them showing us they didn't care what we thought about any of their deals (which are too numerous to mention and out of place for this thread).

All I can say about this being a bi-partisan agreement is that it will NEVER happen. Let them start taking slices of the pie, and we'll end up with no pie....right where we started.

If anyone believes that the Republicans in Congress are willing to reach across the aisle on this thing, I truly believe that they're wearing blindfolds instead of the rose-colored glasses the Democrats are so often accused of wearing.

[SlipperySlope]

10. Teddy Roosevelt was the first president to call for health care reform.

This topic goes back much further than Nixon.