By David Swanson
War is a Crime blog, Feb. 8, 2013
RALEIGH, N.C. — State Representative Marcus Brandon has introduced a bill for a single-payer system in the 2013 General Assembly session. While Republican lawmakers are content to simply block President Obama’s healthcare exchange system, Rep. Brandon offers a real solution to the problems of rising healthcare costs.
“It’s not enough to just say no,” Brandon said in reference to these obstructionist attempts. “We can’t just have Republicans saying no in Congress, and we can’t just have Democrats opposing everything in Raleigh either. We have to present viable solutions. My single-payer bill does that.”
While Republicans are sure to try to defeat this bill, Brandon knows that this is a struggle worth fighting for. “We have to talk about our issues, what it is that we say about ourselves. This is not just about Democrats and Republicans, it’s bigger than that. It’s about finding real solutions instead of just offering up another political talking point.”
“Single Payer, Not for Profit healthcare is the only sustainable plan for NC” Brandon continued. “Healthcare costs continue to sky rocket, and you can make any law you want, but as long as you have a for profit system you will never control cost. Eventually, our flawed system of tying healthcare to employment will no longer be feasible and more and more people will lose coverage, and the state will have to provide services for these people.”
The current edition and status of the bill can be found here:
http://www.ncleg.net/gascripts/BillLookUp/BillLookUp.pl?Session=2013&BillID=H70.
The bill is unlikely to get much traction in a General Assembly dominated by Republicans. However, Brandon is not planning to give up without a fight.
http://warisacrime.org/content/north-carolina-gets-bill-single-payer-healthcare
