OK ... definition first. We have to be clear on the definition of the term "single payer." This means that there's one entity that writes the checks for all health care services. Prescription drugs, doctor visits, hospital stays ... one person writes the checks. Now of course that one person will be the government. Now I suppose you could have a situation where that one person would be one insurance company ... but it would be an insurance company selected by the government and, of course, controlled by the government. Hopefully you can see if the "single payer" is the government, then the government decides what gets paid for and what does not. This means the government gets to determine the extent of your access to health care, prescription drugs, etc. "Single payer" sounds innocuous enough, but it is merely a euphemism for "government."
Now the current debate is whether or not Obama and the looters are taking us to a single payer plan .. a plan where government makes all the decisions as to who gets paid how much for what medical-related service. The language is pretty clear. There's no "taking out of context" stuff here. Listen to the clip and see for yourself. Remember .. if all payments for health care come from the government ... the single payer ... where are the private health insurance companies? Gone! That's where.
So .. the people don't like what they're hearing, and the White House reacts. They pull out ABC retread Linda Douglass ... now in charge of White House propaganda for health care ... to do a little three-minute video trying to convince us that Barack Obama is not for a single payer plan. He's actually in favor of health insurance reform! You can watch Linda Douglass' White House video here She plays a couple of clips - recent clips - from Obama where he promises that you can keep your health insurance if you like it. Nowhere does she address Obama's previous dedication to a single payer plan. Nowhere does she mention that once there is any change, no matter how minute, in your private plan you must drop that plan and head to the government plan.
This is a lady who has sold her soul to the cause of socialized medicine. Pretty much what you would expect from a network news hack.