A View from Left Field- Romneycare, Mitt's Best Idea to Date

Three cheers for Romneycare. The problem is that Mitt hasn’t come up with a good idea since, and he currently disowns his most meaningful accomplishment in order to pander to right wing extremists. Mitt Romney, a political centrist by most standards, has moved so far to the right to court Republican favor that he only finds time to open his mouth so he can switch feet. Listening to Mitt Romney explain away his past political life would make for great comic relief, that is if the situation weren’t so dire. After all, he’s auditioning for the position of free world leader.  Doubletalk’s fun on stage, but not when America’s salvation is at stake.

Come election time, I think his strategy will fail him. This time out, there are lots of clear thinking Republicans, Independents and so called "Reagan Democrats" sitting on the fence. They are looking for a way to turn, but Romney keeps driving them into President Obama’s Camp. Mitt spent so much time in the ivory tower of high finances that he’s completely forgotten how to relate to average Americans; that is if he ever made that contact in the first place. This cost George Herbert Walker Bush the election in 1992 and will likely sting Romney in the same way.

The United States is probably the only country in the developed world that doesn’t provide health care for its citizens. Just think of the advantages. Obamacare’s a start, but a single payer, federally administered plan would fair far better. American business is instantly more competitive when you lift the burden of providing employee health care off its back. Medical services administered by single payer reduces much redundant record keeping. Patients would be discouraged from seeking emergency room care in hospitals and directed to more orderly and less costly regular medical facilities. Much of the monies paid to for profit health providers could be re-directed to police and weed out fraud from a national system.  Everyone wins except, for profit healthcare providers and their excessively paid CEOs. Besides, if anything deserves to trump profits, it should be the health and well being of the American public.

For those where money is no object, there will always be a private carrier ready, willing and able to take their money and provide them the finest care. The cost of healthcare is escalating rapidly. Based on economies of scale, a single payer healthcare fund would be more sustainable and less costly than our current for profit set-up. Medicare works for the elderly and a phasing in of Medicare for all would produce a healthier and more confident populous while making the nation far more competitive on the ever challenging world economic landscape.