In Massachusetts, where the most recent experiment in incremental health reform is underway, The voters by a large margin support Single Payer. 10 districts voted overwhelming in favor of this ballot question, by a margin of 72% to 28% (124,875 votes to 48,278 votes)
Single-payer health insurance
Summary: Should the representative from this district be instructed to support legislation creating a cost-effective single payer health insurance system that is available to all residents, and oppose laws penalizing those who fail to obtain health insurance.
textynn
/ November 18, 2008We need single payer health care. I don’t know if this means that my employer will pay it or what. I would like to state clearly that I DO NOT want my employer holding my health care. Everyone knows that employers know dozens of formulas to avoid giving employees health care. It is a myth that people can expect to get Health care from their employer. Even if they provide it many times it is worthless.
I do not want one person holding my pay check and my health care. If my supervisor is shallow, or mean, or indifferent , or any number of things he can separate me and my children from health care with in an instant along with my pay check simultaneously. There is no guarantee that people in charge of hiring and firing are good well rounded people and they should not be in a position to ax people from their health care.
People no longer work for one or two employers for a life time. People are in between jobs every 4 or 5 years now. We need coverage during these times between layoffs, fleeing abusive employers, putting it together after a foreclosure etc.
Further, very sick people may or may not be able to work. If they don’t drag their sick butt to work they will lose their health care. This is an awful position to put people in. In is inhumane and employers should not be given this position in anyone’s life.
Very Importantly, no one ever talks of the costs to society when we don’t take care of working class people. My dad is a retired ALJ SS Judge. He says that as much as one third of the claimants are there because they have become disabled by years of unavailability of Health care. All these people are drawing SS. Children of people disabled due to lack of health care are also usually supported by Welfare etc.
Leslie Novak