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Medical copays reduce health care access in MS prisons; Israel planted explosives in pagers sold to Hezbollah according to official sources; Serving looks with books: Libraries fight 'fast fashion' by lending clothes; Menhaden decline threatens Virginia's ecosystem, fisheries.

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JD Vance calls for toning down political rhetoric, while calls for his resignation grow because of his own comments. The Secret Service again faces intense criticism, and a right to IVF is again voted down in the US Senate.

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Rural voters weigh competing visions about agriculture's future ahead of the Presidential election, counties where economic growth has lagged in rural America are booming post-pandemic, and farmers get financial help to protect their land's natural habitat.

5,000 Doctors' Prescription for Health Care: Medicare for All

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Thursday, October 9, 2008   

While Senators McCain and Obama debate health policy across the nation, more than 5,000 physicians say neither candidate's prescriptions for healthcare reform would work. The group, Physicians for a National Health Program, says the only hope for a cure is to create a nonprofit, single-payer national health insurance system.

In a letter published this week in the New Yorker and The Nation magazines, the doctors state that private insurance drives up costs, wastes resources, and denies medical care to millions of Americans. That group includes Dr. Brummel-Smith with Florida State University.

"Not having insurance is bad for your health. People who don't have insurance die at much higher rates from treatable problems, like breast cancer and heart attacks and other conditions. Every other developed country in the world has a good national health insurance program, except for us."

Nearly 46 million Americans are reportedly uninsured, and many more are under-insured. Dr. Greg Silver, who also signed the letter, says the proposed health plan would free doctors to care for patients instead of fighting with insurance companies.

"The incentives for the insurance companies are diametrically opposed to my interest and my patients' interests, which is better healthcare and ultimately, better health. Their incentive is to provide the least service they can, so they can maximize their profit."

The American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees in Florida (AFSCME), representing 110,000 government workers, also favors universal coverage. Spokesperson Doug Martin says that support comes even though the union already provides health insurance to its members.

"Our leaders need to step up and have courage and find the revenue to provide for the citizens of the state. They swore an oath and they need to uphold that oath."

The doctors' group supports a bill before Congress that would guarantee coverage, much like Medicare, and is predicted to save $300 billion a year in administrative costs. Opponents believe the private insurance system still provides better care for patients than a government-run program like Medicare.





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