Oregon Senator proposes universal health care for all Americans

Breaking News for Friday, December 05, 2008 Exclusive Video from Generation Rx Film Features Dr. Julian Whitaker on the Drugging of Children GM Crops Climb to Nearly One-Tenth of Global Crop Production Consumer Product Safety Commission Sued Over Allowing Toxic Chemicals in Children's Toys Acidic Diets Cause Bone Loss; Alkaline Diet Protect Calcium in Bones Big Brother DNA Database is Illegal, Rules EU Court      See all Breaking News... FREE Natural Health Newsletter Receive natural health product reviews, recommendations and alerts. Instant download of 20+ free health reports and exclusive interviews. Join over 1.2 million monthly readers. Unsubscribe anytime, email privacy guaranteed Articles Related to This Article: • Why Michael Moore's SiCKO is a health care documentary every American must see • Where's the health in health care reform? • The health care reform legislation that Congress should pass, but won't

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., brought his vision for health care coverage that would leave no man, woman or child in America without health coverage, as several business and labor leaders on Wednesday hailed his proposal to provide health care coverage to all Americans through a pool of private insurance plans.

Over 12 years ago, the U.S. Congress rejected a Clinton administration plan for universal health care. However, Sen. Wyden says his plan is different in that it would provide affordable, private health care coverage for all Americans -- except those covered through Medicare or the military -- using no more money that the country spends on health care today under the current system that leaves millions uninsured.

Sen. Wyden said, "Employer-based coverage is melting away like a Popsicle on the sidewalk in August," and proposed a plan that would "guarantee health coverage for every American that is at least as good as members of Congress receive, and can never be taken away."

Sen. Wyden's plan -- called the "Healthy Americans Act" -- would provide universal coverage for no more money than the country spends on health insurance today, according to the Senator. He also drew support for his plan from groups that have frequently opposed each other -- including Andy Stern, international president of the Service Employees International Union, and Safeway Inc. CEO, Steve Burd.

Mr. Stern called employer-based health coverage a relic of an industrial economy that is long gone. He added that U.S. companies "cannot compete in a global economy when we put the price of health care on the cost of our products, and our competitor nations do not."

In addition, Sen. Wyden said his new plan would give American workers the ability to carry their health insurance from job to job without penalty. He added that more efficient administration and more promotion of competition for health care plans would allow greater coverage while costing no more than the government is paying today for health insurance coverage.

Sen. Wyden's universal health care plan would also require that employers "cash out" their existing health plans by terminating coverage and paying the amount saved directly to workers as increased wages, and then workers then could buy health insurance from a large pool of private plans with that same money.

###
Get articles like this delivered to you FREE in our popular email newsletter

Related CounterThink Cartoons:

Related Articles: • Why Michael Moore's SiCKO is a health care documentary every American must see • Where's the health in health care reform? • The health care reform legislation that Congress should pass, but won't	Take Action: Support NaturalNews.com Email this article to a friend Share this article on: NewsVine | digg | del.icio.us Permalink to this article: http://www.NaturalNews.com/021341.html Reprinting this article: Non-commercial OK, cite NaturalNews.com with clickable link. Embed article link: (copy HTML code below): <a href = "http://www.NaturalNews.com/021341.html">Oregon Senator proposes universal health care for all Americans</a>