Jill Stein on Health Care

Summary

Dr Jill Stein agrees with the green party platform that health care is not a privelage nor a service, but is rather a right. To accomplish health care for all, Dr Stein proposes a single-payer system in which the government is the sole health care provider and the Medicare system is used as the model for this plan, allowing everyone to opt into Medicare.

In 2010, Dr Stein ran for Governor of Massachusetts. In that campaign, she noted that she opposed the "RomneyCare" plan put in to effect by Governor Romney as it entrenched health insurance companies, raised costs, and added bureaucracy. She opposed "Obamacare" for the same reasons, but did agree that the plan added more people to the health care rolls.

These feelings were echoed in January of 2012 in an interview with TruthOut.com. Dr Stein noted again the similarities between Governor Romney's plan and President Obama's and stated that the Obamacare plan was a step away from the ultimate goal of universal health care and a single-payer system.

MassMed Interview

In September of 2010, Dr Stein was interviewed by MassMed as part of her 2010 Massachusetts gubernatorial campaign. She asserts in that interview that the RomeyCare reform is not working and that the Obamacare plan will have similar results.

Truth-Out Interview

In January of 2012, Dr Stein was interviewed by Steve Horn of Truth-Out. She was asked about her work history as a doctor of medicine, her opinion of Obamacare, and single-payer. She indicates that she supports a single-payer system, and that she opposes Obamacare on the grounds that it is a step back from that goal and further entrenches the insurance industry.

Green New Deal

As part of her 2012 Presidential plan, Dr Stein put forth a plan that addresses a number of economic and social issues. Among these issues was health care and it proposed making Medicare the single-payer for all health care in the country.

Therefore, my administration will honor the right to quality health care through an improved Medicare for All program. This will provide comprehensive care for all. It will be free to consumers at the point of delivery, but will save money overall by reducing the massive wasteful health insurance bureaucracy and by stabilizing medical inflation. And it restores freedom of choice so you pick your health care provider, and your care is decided by you and your provider– not by a profiteering insurance executive. This will be federally financed and democratically controlled.

Green Party 2012 Platform

User Comments