95 online
 
Most Popular Choices
Share on Facebook 25 Printer Friendly Page More Sharing Summarizing
OpEdNews Op Eds   

If You Don't Have Good Health Care, Neither Should Your Rep

By       (Page 1 of 1 pages)   4 comments

Jim Hightower
Message Jim Hightower
Become a Fan
  (45 fans)

From Other Words

Until they deliver for the whole public, the public owes them nothing.


(Image by Khalil Bendib / OtherWords.org)   Details   DMCA

Want good quality, lower-cost health care for your family. And -- what the heck, let's think big here -- for every man, woman, and child in our society?

Here's how we can finally get Congress to pass such a program.

Step One: Take away every dime of the multimillion-dollar government subsidy that members of Congress get to cover their platinum-level health insurance. Let them have to live with the same exorbitantly expensive, dysfunctional, and (let's admit it) sick system of medical profiteering they've thrust on us.

Eliminate all of their special treatments, including shutting down their "Office of the Attending Physician" -- a little-known spot of pure, 100 percent socialized medicine conveniently located in our US Capitol to provide government-paid doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and others who give immediate, on-the-spot attention to these special ones.

Well, you might say, they still won't feel the pain. They're 1-percenters, pulling down $174,000 a year each from us taxpayers, meaning they can afford to buy decent health insurance.

Ah, but here comes...

Step Two: Put all of our congressional goof-offs on pay-for-performance salaries.

Why pay them a flat rate whether they produce or not?

For example, American babies are one-third more likely to die in their first year of life than babies in Poland, which provides universal health insurance for all of its people.

So, every year that the U.S. Congress fails to provide health coverage for every American family, the members should get their pay docked by a third. Pay them only when they deliver for the people.

When Congress finally assures good health care for all of us, then its members would get the same coverage. But until they deliver for the whole public, the public owes them nothing.

Must Read 1   Well Said 1   Supported 1  
Rate It | View Ratings

Jim Hightower Social Media Pages: Facebook page url on login Profile not filled in       Twitter page url on login Profile not filled in       Linkedin page url on login Profile not filled in       Instagram page url on login Profile not filled in

Jim Hightower is an American populist, spreading his message of democratic hope via national radio commentaries, columns, books, his award-winning monthly newsletter (The Hightower Lowdown) and barnstorming tours all across America.

Go To Commenting
The views expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.
Writers Guidelines

 
Contact AuthorContact Author Contact EditorContact Editor Author PageView Authors' Articles
Support OpEdNews

OpEdNews depends upon can't survive without your help.

If you value this article and the work of OpEdNews, please either Donate or Purchase a premium membership.

STAY IN THE KNOW
If you've enjoyed this, sign up for our daily or weekly newsletter to get lots of great progressive content.
Daily Weekly     OpEd News Newsletter
Name
Email
   (Opens new browser window)
 

Most Popular Articles by this Author:     (View All Most Popular Articles by this Author)

The Trans-Pacific Partnership is not about free trade. It's a corporate coup d'etat -- against us!

Trump Hates the American Public -- Here's How He Reveals His Disdain

The Post Office is not broke -- and it hasn't taken any of our tax money since 1971

The plutocrats who bankrolled the GOP primaries -- and what they want in return

Citizens United Against Citizens United: A Grassroots Campaign to Restore Democracy

The Audacity of Greed

To View Comments or Join the Conversation:

Tell A Friend