On Tuesday, the Center for American Progress and the Center for American Progress Action Fundannounced that Elizabeth Edwards would join the both organizations as a Senior Fellow, and that she will also be contributing regular posts on health care policy to CAPAF’s Wonk Room. In an interview with the New York Times, Edwards cited the importance of the fight for health care reform, saying “I don’t want to put down the sword until we get the job done.”
Last week, Edwards wrote here that Sen. John McCain’s (R-AZ) health care plan would leave both the him and Edwards herself “outside the clinic doors” because of their preexisting condition — cancer. “Doesn’t your plan really encourage insurers’ plans to compete to avoid people with cancer or other high-cost diseases?” she asked McCain.
Last night on Countdown with Keith Olbermann, Edwards described what she called “a gulf…a solar system of difference” between Sen. John McCain’s (R-AZ) health care plan and progressive proposals. She also discussed McCain’s enormously regressive corporate tax policies, which dole out nearly $2 billion to the biggest health insurance companies and $3.8 billion to oil companies.
Watch it:
Despite her concerns about the “pressure” of contributing to a hard-hitting news blog, the Wonk Room is thrilled to welcome Elizabeth Edwards, and we look forward to the insight and clarity she will offer on this integral issue.
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Another healthcare myth to be on guard for are provisions that would require insurers to provide insurance to anyone without capping the cost. A small company I worked for tried to get corporate health insurance and the owner was encouraged by a bill that required companies to provide anyone with a quote. After the insurance company took detailed health info on all the employees they came back with a quote that bascially said “Go away!”.
However, any plan that involves insurance company is not going to be optimal. We need to put our healthcare dollars where they benefit the providers not a bunch of paper-pushers.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:23 amFixed it for ya.
April 10th, 2008 at 4:06 pmGo get`em Mrs.Edwards.
April 11th, 2008 at 2:47 amThis is very exciting! As someone who has had years of personal experience with the horrors and outrages of the current health insurance system, I think that this is an incredibly important issue that is not really understood by the vast majority of Americans. And, to be fair, given the amount of misinformation and outright lies about “socialist” health care plans being promulgated by the right wing, as well as the appalling neglect of the issue by most of the media, unless an individual or family has actually been sick and/or un/underinsured, how would most of them know the truth? We desperately need people like Elizabeth Edwards to take the lead on this issue. She not only has a solid grasp of the facts, she is a brilliant and charismatic spokesperson who can really help enlighten people about what a disaster our current system is and how it can and must be changed. Thank you, CAP and thank you, Mrs. Edwards!
April 11th, 2008 at 4:57 pmPeachkfc - you got it all absolutely right!!!!
April 11th, 2008 at 5:16 pmThe other additional problem is that nobody has yet put the costs to the individual into proper and honest perspective. I have tried to do that on my healthcare web site.
Look past the “irritation” and study the figures. You bet I’m angry and it shows. Why be “politically correct”?
http://www.universalhealthcareinfousa.com
Mrs. Edwards,
I don’t know if you read these comments, but if you do, I think you should come out and endorse Hillary Clinton. Not to blunt Mr. Edwards endorsement, but to rebuke NARAL. I just think that is required. Its just an opinion, but I hope you will consider it.
May 15th, 2008 at 10:48 pm