.jpg)
Single-payer health care censored by media?
(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
In the debate over health care reform, is discussion of single-payer health care being subject to media censorship? President Obama's private doctor of 22 years was recently removed from an ABC program scheduled on the health care debate when it was discovered that he planned to discuss the advantages of single-payer health care. Watch the short video clip describing this below. The media has largely censored any real debate on the issue.
A single-payer health care system would significantly decrease costs by preventing the huge medical-industrial complex from reaping massive profits at the expense of the health of the public. The major manipulations and profit-above-health behavior of the pharmaceutical industry and other private health care companies have been very well documented, including by the former editor-in-chief of the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine at this link.
Polls have shown that single-payer health care is the reform proposal with the greatest level of support amongst medical professionals and the general public. Yet many in Congress who have received major contributions from the health insurance industry have tried to deflect calls for such reform stating that we need to protect the profits of private insurers. Money talks.
Listen to the revealing one-minute video talk below by Dr. David Scheiner, President Obama's private physician for 22 years on how he was silenced for potentially raising the topic on national TV.
The mass media has largely ignored people like Dr. Sheiner because newspapers, TV, and radio stations depend on billions of dollars in advertising from the drug and health insurance companies. When advertising dollars affect programming, as they clearly do, we cannot expect to have balanced reporting. Consider, too, that when your doctor will personally make much more money by performing surgery than by recommending a much less-costly alternative, you may end up having your body unnecessarily disfigured, as has been known to happen on a regular basis.
A revealing report by Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) last march shows just how blatant media censorship of the single-payer issue is:
Over the past week, hundreds of stories in major newspapers and on NBC News, ABC News, CBS News, Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, NPR and PBS's NewsHour With Jim Lehrer mentioned healthcare reform. Yet all but 18 of these stories made no mention of "single-payer" (or synonyms commonly used by its proponents, such as "Medicare for all," or the proposed single-payer bill, H.R. 676), and only five included the views of advocates of single-payer – none of which appeared on television.Of a total of 10 newspaper columns FAIR found that mentioned single-payer, Krauthammer's syndicated column critical of the concept, published in the Washington Post (2/27/09) and reprinted in four other daily newspapers, accounted for five instances. Only three columns in the study period advocated for a single-payer system.
Whatever happened to a balanced media that reflected the interests of the public? Thankfully, there a key members of Congress not beholden to the health industry who are working for what the majority of the people want in health care. To read about the most recent progress on a single-payer bill moving through Congress, click here. To sign a petition in support of this reform, click here.
The box immediately below provides several ideas on what you can do to educate yourself and spread the word to others on the important issue of health care reform and single-payer health care. We also invite you to comment below and let us know what you think. How can we most effectively overcome media censorship on this issue so critical to our health?
What you can do:
- Read other carefully researched articles on health care manipulations at this link.
- Inform your media and political representatives of this important information on single-payer health care. To contact those close to you, click here. Urge them to reveal any health care investments and contributions and do what's best for the public.
- Learn more about corruption in health care and how it can directly impact your health in this powerful lesson from the free Hidden Knowledge Course.
- Read concise summaries of revealing major media reports on health available here.
- Spread this news to your friends and colleagues, and bookmark this article on key news websites using the "Share This" icon just below the title of this article, so that we can fill the role at which the major media is sadly failing. Together, we can make a difference.
Fred Burks served as personal language interpreter to Clinton, Bush, Cheney, Gore, and other top dignitaries in secret meetings. As part of an international network of researchers and news analysts, Fred obtains and disseminates key, reliable information about powerful, yet little-known forces which shape our world. For more, see articles and links in the right column of this page.
Comments
The House Health Care Bill, 1,018-page document, released this week (July 14th, 2009) reveals some concerns as noted by www.healthinsurancetexas.biz and www.selecthealth.biz Mike Oliphant serves as health care consultant with these two popular websites in Utah. He also is a serving board member with Utah Association of Health Underwriters. A provision within this bill would indeed outlaw individual private coverage. Under the Orwellian header of "Protecting The Choice To Keep Current Coverage," the "Limitation On New Enrollment" section of the bill clearly states:
"Except as provided in this paragraph, the individual health insurance issuer offering such coverage does not enroll any individual in such coverage if the first effective date of coverage is on or after the first day" of the year the legislation becomes law.
This translates into those who currently have private individual coverage won't be able to change it. It is likely that those same people will suffe
In the series of videos, after watching Obama's doc, watch the one where the woman explains the health ins. options--she is exactly, right-on!!
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!