Blogging at SinglePayerAction.org today (5/4/09), Corporate Crime Reporter‘s Russell Mokhiber describes the contents of a “much-hyped special section on healthcare” from Politico that features below the headline a Matt Wuerker cartoon of “the U.S. healthcare system” as a patient–“and you can’t touch patient or you’ll get zapped. As in: ‘Bzzt! Don’t even go near proposing single payer. You’ll be called a socialist!'”:
The issue is jam-packed with $10,000 full-page ads from the usual suspects: United Health Group, the drug industry (the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association), the high-tech medical equipment industry (Advanced Medical Technology Association) and corporate liberal groups like AARP.
All of which oppose what the majority of doctors and the majority of the American people want–a single-payer, Medicare-for-all, everybody-in, nobody-out, free-choice-of-doctor-and-hospital healthcare system.
The Politico healthcare issue features five news articles and six opinion pieces.Not one of which mentions single-payer.
Mokhiber can only conclude that “the editors at Politico apparently heeded Wuerker’s warning” with “not a mention of single-payer in the entire issue (other than Wuerker’s warning).” Listen to the recent FAIR radio show CounterSpin: “Ellen Shaffer on Healthcare” (3/6/09)
The reason AARP is the most dangerous, is that there are two of them. AARP Foundation, whose image is os a beneficent, non-proft, advocate of some 38 million individuals (50 and over) many who depend on Medicare. This benevolence, by the way, entitles AARP to an enormous tax exemption. AARP Services, Inc. (the evil twin), is managed wholly for profit. While both AARPs make sure the Foundation gets all the favorable news attention such as addressing issues that protect older Americans, AARP lobbies againsst the best interests of its membership. Case in point, siphoning off money from Medicare fund buy taking billions in subsidies for their own insurance that they named “Medicare Advantage Plans” (named after the health program in order to confuse the members). They also profit on the Prescription (Part D) plan-both of which were gifts from Congress.
By luring seniors onto AARPs MA plan with extra features such as dental, eyeglasses, health club membership, etc. seniors don’t realize they leaving the real Medicare Plan in the lurch weakens it for other seniors. Today 1 in 3 leave real medicare to the poorest sickest. AARP, and other private insurers hope is to privatize Medicare and bankrupt the rest.
One must ask, if AARP professes to believe in Medicare why don’t they want the same for everyone else-which is a government operated, single payer plan?
One must ask, if AARP believes in Medicare and professes to protect it for seniors, why wouldn’t this same government plan be the best for everyone-which is a single payer, government plan?