Posted by moy23 on 11/11/2014 11:53:00 AM (view original):
Some highlights:
Obama - Remarks to AFL - CIO
"I happen to be a proponent of a single-payer health care plan. The United States of America--the wealthiest country in the history of the world, spending 14 percent--14 percent of its gross national product on health care and cannot provide basic health insurance to everybody and that's what Jim is talking about when he says, 'Everybody in. Nobody out.' A single payer health care credit--universal healthcare credit. That's what I'd like to see, but as all of you know, we may not get there immediately. Because first we have to take back the White House and we've got to take back the Senate and we've got to take back the House."
Obama - Remarks - 8/4/07
"This is a two trillion dollar part of our economy and it is my belief that it's not just politically but economically it is better for us to start getting a system in place--a universal healthcare system signed into law by the end of my first term as president and build off that system to further to make it more rational..."
"By the way, Canada did not start immediately with a single payer system. They had a similar transition step. "
Obama- New Hampshire Public Radio 11/21/07
OBAMA: It's a transitional system building on the existing systems that we have.
HOST: Transitional to what?
OBAMA: Transitional, hopefully, because the system is currently a patchwork of inefficiency that over time I would want to see Medicaid, Medicare, the Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP)--all those integrated more effectively.
Obama - Public Remarks 4/3/07
"Let's say that I proposed a plan that moved to a single payer system--Let's say Medicare plus. Essentially, everybody can buy Medicare, for example..."
"Transitioning a system is a very difficult and costly and lengthy enterprise. It's not like you can turn on a switch and you go from one system to another. So it's possible that up front, you wouldn't need not just-- you might need an additional ninety or a hundred billion dollars a year."
Obama - (SEIU Healthcare Forum) - 3/24/07
"But I don't think we're going to be able to eliminate employer coverage immediately. There's going to be potentially some transition process. I can envision a decade out or 15 years out or 20 years out.."
Obama - Public Remarks - 1/27/05
"There's no denying that part of the solution in the health care arena as we transition and deal with the legacy systems that we've inherited will probably require some additional money."
Obama - Remarks to American Medical Association - 6/15/2009
"The public option is not your enemy. It is your friend...Let me also address an illegitimate concern that is being put forward by those who are claiming a public option is somehow a Trojan horse for a single payer system."
Obama - (SEIU Healthcare Forum) - 3/24/07
"My commitment is to make sure we've got universal health care for all Americans by the end of my first term as president..."
"I would hope that we could set up a system that allows those who can't go through their employers to access a federal system or a state pool of some sort...but I don't think we're going to be able to eliminate employer coverage immediately. There's going to be potentially some transition process. I can envision a decade out or 15 years out or 20 years out.."
a) That's Breitbart, who knows how many of those were edited/taken out of context/etc. I don't trust Breitbart anymore than you would trust a dailykos post.
b) I noticed that all of those dates are prior to his presidency except one, the one that he states he isn't going for single payer:
"Let me also address an illegitimate concern that is being put forward by those who are claiming a public option is somehow a Trojan horse for a single payer system."
c) I wish Obama was fighting for single payer. It would be much better than the healthcare system we had prior to ACA and better than the one we have with the ACA.
d) Even if he was in favor of single payer, that alone wouldn't make him some crazy leftist anymore than being pro-life would make someone a crazy righty.