COVERITLIVE.COM

10:02

Fred Barbash-Moderator - Good morning. Howard Dean will join us at noon today to chat with you about healthcare and other topics. You're welcome to submit questions in advance now. Please write a name-rather than a handle or "guest"- in the appropriate place before sending your question.

10:54

Fred Barbash-Moderator - Here's Howard Dean's article from POLITICO this morning

11:44

Fred Barbash-Moderator - A reminder to readers: Please use a name with your question, rather than "guest" or a handle.

11:59

Fred Barbash-Moderator - Welcome Gov. Dean. Thanks so much for being with us today at POLITICO

12:00

[Comment From Bruce Blevins]
Dr. Dean, I keep hearing that single-payer, universal coverage is off the table, yet I have not heard any sensible objection to it, just the ususal propaganda type platitudes. To me there are a few basic questions, such as should everyone have equal access to healthcare, and should profit be allowed on the access side of it. The hodge-podge plug-the-gaps sort of solutions seem to add expense without making fundamental change. If the most cost-efficient and fair system is the single-payer model, why is it not being pushed? It seems like the insurance industry is being put ahead of everyone's wellfare. Is that how you see it?The thousands of people who die each year due to lack of access deserve to be more than faceless, nameless forgotten nobodies. After abusing their own customers, even to death, does the insurance industry deserve a seat at the table?

12:01

Howard Dean - The first part of the answer is that single payer is on the table. You can choose to be in a single payer or not under Obama's plan. A pure single payer for all with no choice simply doesn't have the votes. The health inurance industry will of course fight this, and we can't afford to lose. If the plan does not have a public insurance component which American's can choose, it is a huge waste of time and money and should not be adopted.

12:05

Howard Dean - [Comment from Larry Mitchel] You'll get a lot of questions about this: How do you crystal-ball the prospects of a "public plan" as an option under health-care reform? This is the [at least stated] line-in-the-sand for Republicans. Will they and their supporters be able to keep a public plan out of the mix?

Howard Dean: I think we can have a public plan. A public
Plan is essentially like Medicare. It is government run plan which is much more efficient than private sector plans because 96% of all the money paid in is actually spent on health care as opposed to the 50 to 88% spent on Health care by private insurers. The beauty of the Obama plan is that the American people as individuals get to make the choice, not insurance companies, employers, right wing politicians and bureaucrats!

12:06

[Comment From Alan]
Regarding healthcare: What does it need to include to really count as a "reform" as opposed to more tinkering?

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