“World’s Only Hyperpower” Suffers Healthcare Trauma

To those following the health care reform debate raging in the United States of America from outside the borders of the “world’s only hyperpower”, are amused how most of the discussion on public issues gets narrowed down to “good versus evil”, “socialism versus capitalism”, “liberalism versus conservatism”, and so on…Let public good/interest be dammed.

In the current US debate, allegations are flowing thick and fast about media manipulation by the concerned parties to create further confusion among the public. Meanwhile here is another interesting take from Britain…

Christina Patterson writes in The Independent: “An internal memo of the Republican National Committee, leaked to the Huffington Post, has urged its members to ‘engage in every activity’ to block the reform, which, it says, is ‘a grave threat to America’s healthcare, and America’s health’.

“Quite how reforms aimed at ensuring that Americans who suffer the misfortune of sudden illness or accident might have treatment beyond the limited emergency service the state provides might be regarded as a ‘threat’ to ‘America’s health’ remains unexplained.

“Or, indeed, how a system rated 37th out of 191 by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in terms of overall performance, and 72nd out of 191 in terms of the overall level of health, couldn’t find a little room for improvement.

“But the Americans who might benefit, I forgot to say, are uninsured Americans. About 17 per cent of the population, and a rather higher percentage (one assumes) of the audience for I Survived a Japanese Game Show or America’s Got Talent.

“These, of course, are not proper Americans. They’re failed Americans, Americans who let the side down. These are Americans who are insufficiently ambitious and insufficiently motivated, Americans who somehow Dreamed a Dream of being ugly, poor and fat.

“There is no greater sin in America than being poor, unless it’s being on the side of the poor. There is no greater sin than standing up against the eternal, damn-near constitutional right to wreak profit, at whatever cost. Speak against this, and, as I recently discovered, you will feel it.” More here…

Meanwhile NPR reports: “The White House has released excerpts of the statement President Barack Obama will give before he takes reporters’ questions at tonight’s press conference.

“From the excerpts, it’s clear the president will be appealing to Americans to understand that health care reform is about more than health care, that it’s also about the economy which is being increasingly weighed down by rising health care costs that are crowding out other areas in the economy that require investment.

“Obama will say: So let me be clear: if we do not control these costs, we will not be able to control our deficit. If we do not reform health care, your premiums and out-of-pocket costs will continue to skyrocket.

“And Obama also paints his opponents as petty political players who are opposing Democratic reform proposals for reasons of partisanship not principle.” More here…

Here’s the transcript of Barack Obama’s press conference on the subject…