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Rocky Anderson on Health Care
Justice Party challenger for President; former mayor of Salt Lake City
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Congress caved in to the for-profit insurance industry
ROMNEY: I see our trade deficit with China larger than it's--growing larger every year.ANDERSON: Our employers in this country are at a huge competitive disadvantage with their competitors overseas, because we are the only nation in the entire
developed world that doesn't provide insurance coverage for everyone, and we're paying more than twice the average of the rest of the industrialized world. And we're getting far worse medical outcomes. More than 70 percent of the American people and the
majority of doctors during the healthcare debate said they wanted to see a single-payer, Medicare-for-all system in place. [Most] of the members in Congress caved in to the for-profit insurance industry and the pharmaceutical companies. And once again,
we end up getting shafted, the American people, again. We can't stand for it anymore. We need to send a message: there are going to be political consequences every time the corporate sector wins out over the interests of the American people.
Source: Democracy Now! Expanded Third Obama-Romney 2012 debate
, Oct 22, 2012
Just get the for-profit insurance companies out of the way
STEIN: Both Obama and Romney-Ryan are aiming for Medicare to be reduced to about 2.2% of GDP. A sign that things are not really different between these two corporate-sponsored candidates.ANDERSON: The solution is to provide Medicare for everybody. To
make it a single payer system. You look around the world--Canada, Taiwan--they have a single payer, basically, Medicare-for-all system. We are paying more than double the average of the rest of the industrialized world per-capita for health care costs.
A large part of that is because we're relying upon the for-profit insurance industry to provide health care for most people. We need to get rid of that. We can control costs. We can make it affordable, provide better services, and we can do it for all.
You just get the for-profit insurance companies out of the way, and all of the burdensome paperwork and the different billing systems and all the rest, that end up costing over a third of what we pay for what's supposed to go toward our medical care.
Source: Democracy Now! Expanded First Obama-Romney 2012 debate
, Oct 4, 2012
ObamaCare & RomneyCare are both "insurance companycare"
OBAMA: ObamaCare says insurance companies can't jerk you around. We've seen this model work really well in Massachusetts, because Governor Romney did a good thing. ANDERSON: We're talking here about ObamaCare and RomneyCare.
I would call that "insurance companycare" because they're the ones who wrote it. They joined up with a very conservative foundation years ago to develop this plan, to make the American people buy this perverse product.
We are the only country in the world that depends upon for-profit insurance companies for the majority of our coverage for health care, for those were lucky enough to have it.
STEIN: I live in the state of Massachusetts.
So, I've seen RomneyCare or ObamaCare--take your pick--the Affordable Care Act actually in the flesh is neither affordable nor caring.
Source: Democracy Now! Expanded First Obama-Romney 2012 debate
, Oct 4, 2012
Government should be sole payer, but not sole provider
Q: When you think about healthcare reform in the United States, which of the following solutions is closest to your opinion?A: Anderson chose "The Government should have a major role in providing healthcare insurance" rather than:-
The Government should be the sole provider of healthcare insurance
- The Government should have a limited role in providing healthcare insurance
- Only private companies should provide healthcare insurance
Anderson adds, "With government as the sole provider, there are very few systems where government is the sole MEDICAL provider--some like the system in England.
On the other hand, there are multiple systems with government as the sole payer--like France and Germany. The US system should be sole payer system.
Source: AmericansElect Questionnaire with OnTheIssues.org
, Feb 23, 2012
More federal funding for health coverage
Q: Do you support or oppose the statement, "More federal funding for health coverage"?
A: Strongly Support
Source: Email interview on presidential race with OnTheIssues.org
, Feb 10, 2012
Need universal healthcare like every industrialized nation
[Corrupt campaign finance] is why we don't have real Health Care reform in this country. We'd have a universal Health Care system like every other nation in the industrialized world, were it not for the corrupting influence of the money flowing in from
the medical insurance industry. So, that's what--the failure, in terms of every major public policy issue, to serve the public interest can be attributed to that corrupting influence of money.
Source: Amy Goodman, Democracy Now, "Challenger for Obama?"
, Dec 13, 2011
Lack of affordable healthcare has decimated the middle class
Anderson said "outrageous, expensive" wars have wasted lives and tax dollars the past decade. The government, he said, has driven up the deficit, while cutting taxes for those most capable of paying them.
Also, leaders have failed to provide affordable, essential health care for all Americans. "The middle class has been decimated," he said.
Source: Dennis Ronboy in Deseret News, "Run for president"
, Nov 30, 2011
Page last updated: Oct 27, 2012