Title: Can U.S. Achieve Meaningful Healthcare Reform Within For-Profit System?
Summary: Televised debate that argues between two different types of reform. One type wants to see a single-payer system, but the other wants government regulation in the current market-based system.
Topic: Should the Obama administration attempt to convert the United States to a single-payer health care system?
Category: Journalistic. Alternative
What is it? Televised debate on “Democracy Now.”
Publication Information: Feb. 27,2009
Author: Democracy Now
Location: http://www.democracynow.org/2009/2/27/can_us_achieve_meaningful_health_care
Accessed: Feb. 28, 2009
Support:
Dr. David Himmelstein, professor at Harvard University and the co-founder of Physicians for a National Health Program.
Len Nichols, director of the Health Policy Program at the New America Foundation.
Amy Goodman, broadcast journalist for Democracy Now, columnist and author.
Juan Gonzalez, investigative journalist for Democracy Now and former columnist for the New York Daily News
Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez hosted a debate on health care reform, which starred Dr. David Himmelstein and Len Nichols. Both Nichols and Himmelstein believe that there needs to be major reform in the U.S. health care system, but Himmelstein wants to see a National Health Program (or single-payer system), whereas Nichols believes that the best fit is government regulation in the current system. The majority of America feels that there needs to be health care reform, but the conflicting methods of how it should be done are exemplified by the Himmelstein and Nichols debate.
Audience and Agenda:
Democracy Now is an independent news program that has a viewership of 277,000 people. The news program is unique because it receives neither corporate nor government funding. Democracy Now has received numerous awards for their journalism including: Pinnacle Award for American Women in Radio & Television, and the George Polk Award. Democracy Now scheduled this debate in timely fashion because it was just days after Obama’s congressional address where he spoke of the imminent need for health care reform. Himmelstein has a bias toward single-payer insurance because he is the co-founder of PNHP, whereas Nichols, the director of the Health Policy Program at the New America Foundation, is speaking on behalf of the entire non-profit organization. However, Himmelstein has a bit more credibility than Nichols because he is an actual doctor and Nichols is not.
Usefulness:
This debate highlights the separate reform ideologies that are currently encircling the health care industry. Himmelstein wants to see a single-payer system implemented in the U.S. But Nichols would rather see a government-regulated private system that would cover everyone. In the debate they discuss the Massachusetts health care system because many see their system as a microcosm for what the Obama administration wants to do; the system keeps the insurance companies intact and health care is available to all residents of the state. Himmelstein is a physician in Massachusetts but he feels that the system has too many holes; many people still cannot afford care due to the high prices of deductibles and co-payments. Nichols believes that a single-payer system is too far of an ideological jump for the American people because they are wary of government control and corruption. But Himmelstein feels that a single-payer system is the best way to create an efficient system that eliminates our current health care deficencies. Nichols believes that the government needs to change the rules of the game so that it will insure everyone, but Himmelstein argues that we need to adopt a new game because the current one is rigged.
Works cited:
Democracy Now
Physicians for a National Health Program
New America Foundation
Google Alerts
wikipedia.org
quantcast.com
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