Friday, July 31, 2009

Barney Frank Admits Public Option is Path to Single Payer (video)

Many Americans oppose a public option in the health care reform bill. They are afraid this will lead to a single payer (nationalized) government run health care system such as those in Canada and Great Britain. In June, President Obama promised the AMA the government option was not "a Trojan horse for a single-payer system."

Texas Medical Association
reported:
President Obama told American Medical Association delegates on June 15 that the Health Insurance Exchange Program, or public option, portion of his health system reform plan is not "a Trojan horse for a single-payer system."

"I'll be honest," he said in a speech to the annual AMA meeting in Chicago. "There are countries where a single-payer system may be working. But I believe – and I've even taken some flak from members of my own party for this belief – that it is important for us to build on our traditions here in the United States. So, when you hear the naysayers claim that I'm trying to bring about government-run health care, know this – they are not telling the truth."


Looks like Barney Frank didn't get the message. A group that supports the single payer option has gotten Rep. Barney Frank to admit the public option is just a path to a single payer government controlled health care.



You may have noticed in his speech to the AMA, President Obama said, "I'll be honest," he said in a speech to the annual AMA meeting in Chicago. "There are countries where a single-payer system may be working." However, the White House was later unable to name a country they wanted to use as a successful single payer system.

CBS News reported:
“I don’t know exactly the countries. I think if you talk to the people in the countries that have that system, they think their health care is pretty good,” White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told CNSNews.com Wednesday during the daily press briefing.

Asked again if he knew specifically which countries, Gibbs replied: “I assume Canada, Britain, maybe France. I don’t know the exact countries, but again, I don’t think the president is going way out on a limb that some people in other countries have a health care system that they like. Just as some Americans like the health care system that they have.”

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