Finally, this plan coincides with the Senate bill/affordability bill provision of subsidies or financial help in paying the premiums for the average family of four, earning up to $88,000. a year.
As for the comparison to single payer systems; Grayson explained that the medicare buy-in provides the same services, it is merely the method of payment which differs.
When asked if he would back a bill establishing the right of individual states to create their own single-payer state-wide system; Grayson explained that the senate bill already provides for this tool.
I then asked if he would push to have "reconciliation' language placed in the upcoming budget, which would allow this to be accomplished with 51 senate votes, and the very gregarious Grayson said; "Yes."
Still worried about CBO figures and the use of these budgetary contrivances to stall real reform--I asked if the congressman would back an alternative plan to cut spending in areas such as defense, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan--and transfer those monies to domestic needs such as a single-payer system, or a more generously subsidized Medicare buy-in. Groups such as the National Priorities Project have projections which identify war spending as one of the chief drains on domestic budget problems. Grayson's response was direct;
"I've said a million times that I think the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have to end"We have to take care of ourselves, and when I say we have to take care of ourselves, I meant that our healthcare, education, roads, bridges, our human needs." "I'm not saying that we should end the war for the purpose of enacting single-payer"I think we should end the war for the purpose of eliminating the headlock that the military-industrial-complex has on America, um and meeting our human needs."
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