Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT), Chairman of the Senate Committee charged with reforming the U.S. healthcare industry, avoids questions regarding single payer health insurance en route to a healthcare reform meeting at the Kaiser Family Foundation in Washington, DC. Watch him scurry in the back door in order to avoid answering questions.
Anyone else see the film clip of his laughing about the need for more police to put down protests by single-payer citizens who had organized for health care hearings? Baucus is not suitable as a Senator, and needs to be replaced. He puts campaign donor profits ahead of basic health care needs of US citizens.
Baucus has held two hearings so far and has refused to allow advocates for the most popular reform – a single payer national health policy – to even testify. Single payer, improved Medicare for all, is favored by more than 60% of Americans as well as majorities of doctors, nurses and economists. It is the most cost-effective and efficient way to provide health care to all Americans from cradle to grave.
Why aren’t single payer advocates allowed to testify before Baucus’ committee? Follow the money. Campaign donations explain why and demonstrate that the Senate Finance Committee should not be in charge of health care. Senator Reid should remove the health care reform bill from Baucus and start all over before the Health Committee in the senate.
Here’s why Baucus is not doing the peoples business:
According to OpenSecrets.org over his career he has taken donations from:
The Insurance Industry: $1,170,313
Health Professionals $1,016,276
Pharmaceuticals/Health Products Industry $734,605
Hospitals/Nursing Homes $541,891
Health Services/HMOs $439,700
That is a grand total of $3,902,785. Can we trust Baucus to put aside the profits of the industries that have kept him in the senate? Will he put the people’s necessities ahead of the profits of his contributors? Baucus has shown his bias and should be removed from leading the health care reform effort by the Democratic Party leadership.
If you want to know more about the background of why the “Senator for K Street”, Baucus is determined to be an obstructionist, go to this link to READ MORE.
“a single payer national health policy – to even testify. Single payer, improved Medicare for all, is favored by more than 60% of Americans as well as majorities of doctors, nurses and economists. It is the most cost-effective and efficient way to provide health care to all Americans from cradle to grave”
Uh I have to call B.S. On these numbers, you can’t get 60% of America to agree that the sky is Blue and water is wet, much less to Socialze healthcare….a majority of Nurses maybe, but Doctors and Economists? Really? As somebody who has Doctors in the family, and as Clients…and Deals with Economists regularly, there is overwhelming opposition to what Socailizing healthcare would do to the industry and the economy……P.S. I’ll tade you Olympia Snow for Max Baccus any day!
Bigmarkod,
I am not sure if having a family member who is a doctor makes you an authority on the subject, but it is an interesting twist 😉
Obama’s got three things he wants to accomplish: Healthcare, Education and Clean Energy.
Baucus is wrong to close down the discussions about single payer as well as any other relevant discussions on the subject of how to get the citizens of this nation a decent health care solution.
I’ll take Olympia Snowe any day. What is with you guys, anyways? You’re down to like the last 100 recognizable Republicans if you toss Snowe out. MOST of the nation is pragmatic and moderate according to the latest Pew polls. The Republican party is looking more and more like wild-eyed radicals.