Nothing from nothing leaves healthcare reform?

The great pianist and songwriter Billy Preston once sang, "nothing from nothing leaves nothing." Although as 15 to 16 months, I've seen the promise of health care reform start with single-payer then morph into some sort of public option which, if it is robust should be able to contain health-care costs. This is kind of what they House passed. The Senate, on the other hand, is one confusing mess. Senator Max Baucus was given the keys to the city. I'm not sure what he came up with. As chairman of the finance committee, he was in charge of coming up with a health care bill that was attractive to at least a couple of Republicans. Olympia Snowe and others were courted with sweeteners which seem to eat away at the core of health care reform. Senator Kent Conrad decided that he would introduce his own health-care legislation which was some sort of co-op. Although he sold this idea on the Sunday talk shows and pushed it hard for 6-8 weeks, thankfully (hopefully), it is died a quick death.

The public option is been tossed around like a medicine ball. In Junior high school we were asked to throw a medicine ball in order to build up muscle strength and coordination. Every other throw, the ball was dropped, kicked and then picked up and thrown again. This is exactly what has happened with the public option. What was once a robust counterweight to private health insurance has turned into something that states can opt in or opt out depending upon the whims of their legislature. Oh, and it seems that opposing healthcare is a great way to get on TV and increase your image/status like Bart Stupak.

I have stated both on my radio show and on my blog that health-care reform must include something that is cost-effective, portable and increases access to healthcare. Currently, we are looking at a health-care bill that seems to do none of this. Many progressives have decided that they cannot support this bill. They want something else done. I understand the sentiment. I find this whole process extremely frustrating. Democrats seem to be completely unable to stick to their principles and stand up for the middle class. It seems like the only difference between Republicans and Democrats is that Democrats know what is right but can't do it. Republicans have no idea what is right and won't do it. BTW, President Barack Obama is leader come lately. Look I love this man but I'm telling the truth. Where was he in the middle of the heat of the summer when healthcare was taking the big hits? He needed to be out of front stating that we HAD to have a robust public option but alias, he wasn't out there.

Here's my problem. Washington seems to be controlled by big business. Lobbyists from K St. seem to surround the Capital like locusts. If we scrapped the health-care bill and start all over, how are we going to come up with a different outcome? We're going to have the same politicians, the same White House and the same lobbyists. As a matter of fact, the lobbyists will be better armed to combat arguments they've already heard. They will probably be armed with more money. I'm afraid that starting over will leave us with a bill that's even worse than what we're looking at now -- if that is possible.

We're spending $2.4 trillion on health care every year (we spent that much in 2008). Isn't that enough money? Why do we need to pay any more? Everyone agrees that insurance does not add any value to healthcare. Why is Washington cobbling the insurance companies? Their whole reason for their existence is not to improve health care or help doctors deliver better care or help increase access to doctors by patients. Instead, their whole deal is to simply make money. They make money by not paying claims.

$2.4 trillion is enough money to take care of all 300 million Americans. Combine Medicare and Medicaid and SCHiP and all of the state run programs into one program. Medicare for All! The government will set up a system to negotiate prices with pharmaceutical companies and medical device/product manufacturers. Premiums are paid out of our taxes in a graduated fashion. The more you make, the more you pay. Let's extend patent protection for pharmaceutical companies by 2-5 years. Since the government is negotiating drug prices, pharmaceutical companies can recoup some of their losses through this mechanism. Doctors will be awarded for opening early and staying open late and on the weekends. This way, Americans can go to their physicians without having to take off from work. This increases access. Anyway, Medicare for All, at least for now, is a pipe dream. Right now, I'm good to try to work with my congressional representatives to try to get the best bill possible.

Billy Preston was right. Nothing from Nothing leaves nothing. The Senate is trying to sell us nothing and tell us it is something. They need to do better.

House Votes to Repeal Antitrust Exemption for Insurers

The House of Representatives voted 406-19 yesterday to repeal the antitrust exemption for the insurance industry, putting more pressure on insurers to be more competitive. Unfortunately, it will be much harder for this to pass in the Senate.

Although comprehensive Healthcare Reform is dead.. and has been dead for months, the Democrats may be able to get smaller pieces of good legislation passed. This is a strategy that I have mentioned before, and the Dems should have used it months ago. Next, they should put a bill on the floor for Pre-existing Conditions.

Once you simplify these bills, it plays in favor of the Democrats. Republicans have taken advantage of the complex nature of the larger bills to basically confuse Americans. Making these bills much smaller..simplifies them and makes it much harder for the Republicans to distort facts and put out misinformation.

Did Barack Obama Have a Joe Montana Moment?

Watching Obama's healthcare speech was like watching Joe Montana on the Football field. Montana, the greatest QB of all-time and probably my favorite sports figure, was known as "Mr. Cool" & "Mr. Comeback". He was not just one of the greatest QB's ever....but he was one of those transformational figures....who changed his profession - in his case pro football. Some believe that Obama represents that kind of profound transformational power in politics. The jury is still out on that....and will be for quite some time. But Obama was certainly Joe Montana-esque Wednesday night. Sorry for the sports analogy, but that's how I describe the speech. Few people have that kind of gift....meaning other examples just aren't adequate.

The Obama who decided to show up Wednesday night....is the man who motivated me (one of the most cynical, skeptical and doubtful men on earth) to register to vote for the first time last Fall. This was the Barack Obama that I voted for. I hope this wasn't just a Cameo appearance by this more assertive version of Obama.

And his speech was Montana-esque as I mentioned....but had some Adam Clayton Powell and MLK sprinkled in there too. The man has a gift. After an aggressive start....he entered a sort of zone towards the middle... that's when it started to feel like Church to me... (and to some of the members of Congress.... you could hear the Black Church call and response thing happening for a moment...and that happens spontaneously...that's when you know it's good, lol). Then when he got to Kennedy....you could hear a pin drop through the Television if one fell. An impressive performance indeed.

Montana is a good example for me because when I was a die-hard 49er fan back in the 80's.... on more than one occasion I turned off the TV or Radio in the second half or at half-time...when the Niners were down by 14, 17, 21 points, just to be surprised the next morning when I heard the final score. Let's just say that Montana made me look bad quite a few times....and left me in awe....wondering how he did it. I should have learned my lesson by now.... but skepticism is in my DNA. It's a healthy skepticism though (I hope).

And BTW....yes... This is an excuse to post some cool Montana videos. lol. Guilty.

But Obama hasn't won anything yet. My earlier views haven't changed. Giving a good speech is not enough in the sick political climate we are currently living in.... where 15 second soundbites and ignorance rule the day. It still remains to be seen whether the speech translates into enough votes in the U.S. Senate. Or if some sort of Public option will survive the legislative process. Game changer? I don't know. It's too early to determine that. But I wouldn't want to be a Conservative Democratic Senator right now. Obama put tremendous pressure on the so-called "Blue Dogs". He gave the Republicans an eloquent smackdown and snatched the microphone from their hands. Then he presented a challenge to the Blue Dogs. They must now make a tough choice...but Obama may have made it easier by giving them a little political cover. With more positive poll numbers on this issue, Obama can craft this as something that the people want....giving Conservative Democratic Senators something to work with. These Senators will have to decide if they want to go down in history as the group of Senators who blocked Healthcare reform that most Americans wanted...and helped to stifle...and even bring down their own Party.... and if they will try to gamble and use the issue to run for their Senate seats....seats that may not matter in the long run anyway if they cripple their Party. OR...will they be part of the solution and come out on the right side of history.... even if a few risk losing an election. It really shouldn't be that complicated... but I guess power really does corrupt and in terrible & interesting ways. If these Senators really care more about their Senate seats than the best interests of Millions of fellow citizens...then we have more serious problems deep down to worry about than just Healthcare Reform.

Meanwhile they are facing this charismatic politician from Chicago....in fact a whole crew from Chicago...who are crafty (not crafty enough yet for the Republican machine...but crafty nonetheless) and who could theoretically do things that could make life more difficult for them in the Senate (diverting campaign funds elsewhere, pushing for other Primary challengers, not funding local projects, etc).

I believe Obama may have convinced a few of these Blue Dogs to come along.... but probably not all of them; probably not enough to get the 60 votes needed to do the procedural things necessary to get final passage of a robust Healthcare Reform Bill in the Senate. And BTW folks... the 60 vote claim by Dems has always been shaky. They have never really had 60. For one thing, Lieberman and Specter aren't reliable Democratic votes...although I believe both support Obama's basic proposals on Healthcare Reform (the direction Specter will go in the end remains to be seen). There is at least one Independent (who tends to support Democrats). Sen. Byrd is ill and has been for quite some time. Byrd may have difficulty being around for all the procedural wrangling that will need to take place. He's good for the main vote...when he may have to be wheeled into the Senate Chamber....and wheeled right out. Hopefully he will be well enough to participate in the process. But then there is the loss of Kennedy. That alone leaves you with fewer than 60. To get anywhere close to 60, you would have to assume that every "Blue Dog" Democrat decides to support the legislation.... and I don't believe that's realistic. But let's assume that's the case....that all Blue Dogs suddenly change their tune. That would only give Obama 59 votes.

Sen. Olympia Snowe.... (the legendary politician who John McCain passed up in favor of Caribou Barbie when he wanted a female running mate)...she may be a King Maker in this situation.

I always thought that something would be passed....some sort of Healthcare legislation would likely pass the House and Senate. Obama is not about to end up with nothing to sign after dedicating so much time to this issue. The question for me was always....what will be in the final Bill?

Another problem Obama has is the same one he had in June, July and August. The Republican media machine isn't going anywhere. There will be several weeks before there is any final agreement on a Healthcare Bill... plenty of time for the Republican Right Wing media to brainwash more gullible Americans, tell more lies, distort and misinform, and spin the facts. As good as Obama's speech was.... Americans have a very short memory, which works in favor of Right Wing spinsters. They will chip away some of the support for any sort of public option....and they will continue to try to manipulate & scare Democratic Senators from Conservative States.

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P.S.

See other great Montana videos

Montana Magic Part 1

Montana Magic Part 2

Montana Magic Part 3


Montana Highlights

Rescission - Why We Need a Public Option

NPR covers the real death panels that we already have... those that are run by private insurance companies. How do they do it? Through rescission....a process that allows insurance companies to abandon patients when they need coverage the most. Perhaps someone should inform Sarah Palin that we already have death panels...because she's obviously clueless.

Why isn't Obama telling these stories more often? Why won't he hold a national Town Hall on Healthcare Reform where he can highlight the real death panels, and dispel the Republican propaganda? The major networks have barely mentioned this issue. The fake death panel story put out by Right wing groups gets covered...but the fact that we have actual death panels right now hardly gets any attention from the major news networks. Unreal!

Also hear a story about what Canadians are saying about U.S. Healthcare Reform. Apparently, Canadians are bewildered about the way their Healthcare system has been characterized by Republicans. Again...the major U.S. news outlets aren't telling this story. Instead of sending investigative reporters into Canada to find out what is really going on.... to find out what the people really think about their Healthcare system, the lazy U.S. media chooses, time and time again, to use Right wing talking points as the baseline for any Healthcare debate. It has basically been accepted as fact in this Country (according to U.S. mainstream media) that the Canadian Healthcare system is far worse than the Healthcare system in the U.S.

Separate Fact from Fiction:

Dispel the Right Wing/Corporate propaganda about Healthcare by keeping track with fact checking websites such as Politifact and Factcheck.org.

Both sides get their information mixed up or bend the truth.... but the Republican spin machine simply has no shame.... they have been lying their asses off, especially on Healthcare...and their lies are so outlandish that it scares me that there are American citizens who have fallen for this stuff. A large portion of the American populace is incredibly uninformed.

The GOP is Milking Kenneth Gladney For All He's Worth

Most have heard about Kenneth Gladney by now. The so-called Black Conservative from St. Louis who got into a little scuffle with idiots from the SEIU at a recent Town Hall event on Healthcare, hosted by Rep. Russ Carnahan (D-MO).

Keeping up with the protests over the past few weeks, and seeing the way things were escalating, it came as no surprise that scuffles were beginning to break out. I lay a lot of the blame on Obama for his lack of leadership, because he failed to calm the fears of those who have been brainwashed over the past few weeks.... and for his Administrations lack of action to change the strategy once it became clear that their Healthcare initiative was a train wreck. Obama lost the propaganda war long before any real debate had a chance to begin....which means the Town Hall meetings are a bit of a joke. Yet, even today, these idiot Democrats continue to hold these meetings...despite the fact that these events are useless at this point and are in fact only making matters worse.

What Obama should do is instruct Democrats in the House and Senate to cancel any future Town Halls. Instead, there should be a series of nationally televised Town Halls (just like the Presidential Debates) where the shouters are not allowed in to disrupt the event....and where a real debate and discussion could take place. There could also be a panel of experts at these events, and debunkers (like Fact Check and Politifact). This would be a chance for Obama to clear up much of the propaganda that has been allowed to go unchallenged by his Administration over the past few months.

But the Dems continue to have these meetings as if they are making a difference in the PR battle. Senator Claire McCaskill of Missouri held one just today and she was lucky to have gotten out alive. The Town Halls are nothing more than platforms for Right Wing Protests and video snippets; there is no vigorous debate or discussion taking place. It's a farce. Right wingers, who have no real information and therefore can't debate...and have no interest in debating the issues are doing the only thing they can do - shouting at the other side...and creating chaos. Nothing meaningful is going to come out of continuing what have become Right wing propaganda events.

And the SEIU should stay home if their people are not smart enough not to be suckered by the Right. By getting involved in a scuffle (and I don't know who started what.... the video does not show the beginning of the incident) they are giving the Republican media machine exactly what it wants. That's what the Right Wing was hoping for by attending these events hosted mostly by Democrats. Thus the Republicans now have their newest Joe the Plumber... and he's just as phony as can be IMO. He's playing up his "brutal beating" as much as possible, and he's allowing himself to be used by the Republican spin machine.

The biggest irony is that he's reportedly asking for help with medical bills. Why? Because he's unemployed and whatever Health coverage he has apparently isn't enough (the whole purpose of the Healthcare Reform that he was protesting against). Or could it be that someone is just looking for a payday? Read on and see...

There are also some things fishy about this entire incident. I don't doubt it happened...but the more I look into the situation....the more fishy it smells. I won't go as far as some bloggers who suggest that the entire incident was staged.... I believe it happened.... I just believe that the SEIU idiots fell for something that the Right Wing groups wanted to happen in the first place. Apparently Gladney, who was selling Right Wing shirts, flags and buttons for someone, became the bait that the Right Wing needed. And the dummies from the SEIU fell right into the trap.

The SEIU shouldn't have been there if they don't know how to stay out of trouble. And they certainly should not have been at the event to antagonize the Teabaggers, knowing tensions were exceptionally high. Just stupidity all around. And yes... I know wearing Union T-shirts has been the norm for decades, but common sense has to come into play at some point. If you are wearing clothes identifying your Union affiliation....be on your best behavior. They really shouldn't have their T-shirts on at all in my opinion.... it's unnecessary at an event that is supposed to be a discussion about Healthcare.

But regarding Gladney in particular, it gets worse... I found an even more interesting tidbit about Mr. Gladney... and when I read it I was reminded of one of the TV commercials where you are told about criminals who engage in insurance fraud by staging phony car accidents and by having their own eye witnesses conveniently placed to tell Police exactly what happened so that everyone can get paid. Again, I don't think the incident at the St. Louis Town Hall was staged...but the circumstances are a little fishy. So much surrounding this seems to have been placed in a way that conveniently benefits the Republican Party. Why else would part of Gladney's legal representation just happen to be at the Town Hall incident as a witness? Convenient. Yep, his attorney just happened to have been at the Town Hall. And seeing the video of his attorney at a protest a few days later, he seemed more like an activist than a personal injury lawyer. Those who are pushing this story don't seem to be making any bones about the fact that Gladney and Republican interests want to milk this incident to get all they can out of it.

It just seems to me that Republicans are taking advantage of this unemployed guy (remember how phony "Joe The Plumber" had odd jobs...and now he's making big money for the Republican propaganda machine?). It annoys me that they (the Republican Right) are probably partly responsible for this man being without a job, thanks to Bush's recession.... but then they turn around and recruit him to protest against his own best interests on Health care. Amazing! But there's a sucker born every minute.

Serious Healthcare Reform - Starting from Scratch

When the world was young, life was simple. Marcus Welby was our prototype physician. He seemed to be wise, practical, compassionate and infinitely knowledgeable. He could handle everything from a splinter in your foot to ovarian cancer and he could fix an internal abdominal hemorrhage from a motor vehicle crash. Well, things have changed since then. We have CT scanners, which can give us a three-dimensional picture of a heart. Using a scope, we can remove a gallbladder with three small incisions that together add up to less than two inches.

Over the last 20 to 30 years, health care has become extremely expensive. Americans now spend over $2.1 trillion in health care, more than $7,000 per individual. We must remember that we are spending all this money and 46 million Americans are still not covered. It boggles the mind that we can spend such a huge amount of money and millions of Americans are not covered. It's crazy.

Many polls have suggested that Americans want to change our healthcare system, but everyone seems to have trouble with the specifics. Let's step back and start from scratch. What do we want from our healthcare system? It seems to me that a system that is cost-effective is crucial. An article in this month's New Yorker reveals that in McAllen, Texas they are spending over $15,000 per resident and their healthcare is no better. The residents in McAllen are no healthier than the residents in Los Angeles or Detroit... or Asheville, for that matter. I think most Americans would agree that they want their insurance to travel with them, so portability is important. As we live longer and develop more and more medical diagnoses, Americans see more and more physicians. These physicians need to find a better way to communicate with each other in order to improve health care. We therefore need a system that is integrated. Patients should be able to choose their own physicians and their own hospitals, so independence is required. This basic right should be preserved. We want the best. The medical profession needs to figure out what the best practices are and give incentives to physicians to deliver the "best" of medical care. Currently, most physicians' offices are open from approximately nine in the morning until five in the evening. The majority of people work during that time frame. Americans should not have to take off from work in order to see their physicians. Physicians must be more accessible. There should be incentives to open early and stay open later. Group practices should be encouraged to be open Saturday and Sunday. When problems arise between a physician and a patient or the patient's family, there should be a way to resolve these conflicts without going to court every single time. We definitely need improved conflict resolution. There should be a way to find problems long before they become lawsuits, a better way for the medical profession to police itself or to be policed. Finally, every American needs to be covered.

The plans that are bouncing around Washington right now are hybrids of private and public health care. They seem to be more complex, rather than less. Why does delivering health care have to be so complex? Why don't we make it simpler instead of harder? The primary reason that we are all discussing health care is because the costs have become astronomical. Does insurance add value and decrease cost? I think the answer is no to both questions. A single-payer plan that negotiates drug costs and pays physicians and hospitals for keeping patients well would be the most cost-effective plan.

Finally, most plans being talked about today have some sort of "value added tax" in order to cover the 46 million Americans who are without insurance today. If we eliminate insurance from the basic plan (insurance adds approximately 30% to our healthcare costs) then we don't need a "value added tax." We already have enough money to cover everybody. There's no extra expense. There's no need for employers to be involved. Businesses would save money. This seems like a system in which business wins, the American people win and the health industry wins. Outstanding! Now that I've fixed health care, I can turn my attention back to Guantánamo Bay and what to do with the detainees.

Sick Around the World - A Documentary from PBS

See an interesting documentary from PBS, entitled Sick Around the World. The program examines healthcare systems around the World, and asks how the U.S. system could improve. Watch documentary online.

Bonus:

Hear a discussion about the healthcare plans of Barack Obama and John McCain...actually it's a discussion about Obama's healthcare plan, since he is the only candidate who actually has a plan. McCain's "healthcare plan" involves giving you a $2,500.00 coupon if you're single or a $5000.00 coupon for a family and telling you to have a nice day... you're on your own... free to search for your own healthcare on the open market. What you may not know is that private plans are more expensive (because you don't have the benefit of getting a group rate)...and you can be excluded for pre-existing conditions. Also, the McCain coupon program won't cover catastrophic medical costs. More importantly, the $2,500/$5000 coupon won't come close to covering your costs....and it doesn't address issues such as dental care, home health services, etc. And McCain's program will tax employer benefits. It also wouldn't help those who are poor, out of work, etc. and it would be of little help to the 45 million + who are currently uninsured... or the 70-80 million + who are under-insured. In other words, the McCain program would be a disaster.

Listen Here

Bush To Veto Child Health Insurance Bill

Well well well....

It looks like compassionate Conservatism is rearing its head once again.

Coming on the heels of Michael Moore's Sicko, Bush & Co. gives the middle finger to America's children- pledging to veto a new child healthcare Bill. They supposedly believe in "Family Values", but apparently they don't value the idea of healthy families. Interesting irony indeed.

Bush & Co. does not support an increase of a few billion dollars per year over the next few years (to total $35 billion). The increase would expand the existing Child Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) which is scheduled to expire at the end of September. The proposed increase would provide insurance for an additional 4 million uninsured children. But Bush & Co. advisors are encouraging George W. to veto the Bill....it is just not worth the investment. Yet the U.S. wastes $10 billion EVERY MONTH on the unneccesary war in Iraq. (1) Even Republican members of Congress are challenging Bush & Co. on this Bill and are not happy about the planned veto.

Meet Susie Flynn, a 10 year old running for President as a way to put pressure on the 2008 Presidential candidates to make healthcare for children a priority. The above Bill is the legislation that she was promoting. This just illustrates how screwed up America's priorities are.

Every American Should See The Film Sicko

I just got home from watching Sicko. I had not been to a movie in about 3 years. Mostly because the movies that have been coming out lately have been lame...and they did nothing to "move" me to want to see them. And it's also because I basically hate to go out. Also, my favorite movie theater in Richmond Heights (inner ring St. Louis burb) has been pretty much destroyed...so I had to cut down on my trips to the show. But when I do go, I now have to drive to a burb (a quieter one) farther out.

Anyway... I had an idea of what Moore was going to cover based on all the reviews and the publicity. But that still didn't prepare me for this one. I will offer no spoilers...but I will say that this film should be required viewing for all Americans, regardless of social/economic status (teens on up). And unlike Fahrenheit 9/11, this film has no political bent.

If anyone wants to know why the Angry Independent is so angry.... go watch the film Sicko. This film sums up quite a bit of my frustration. There are so many things that the film touches on...that I won't attempt to do a review. But it goes beyond healthcare and flirts with the wider questions of how we got here, who the hell are we as a nation, who are we as supposedly civilized human beings, who we are as a so-called "Democracy", and where are our priorities?

I knew of the problems with the healthcare industry, but Moore has a way of giving you a look under the rug to see just how dirty things really are. The health system in the U.S. is basically a criminal racket (like the mob) run by Corporations that are not concerned whatsoever about the best interests of patients. They are primarily concerned with profits. As a result, the U.S. healthcare system has decayed to a pretty dismal level in terms of patient care. It's now pretty much a broken system.

This is the problem with having a critical sector like public health owned and controlled by the private sector. This should have never happened. It should have become a publicly run system a long time ago. Private doctors and private insurers here in the U.S. get cudos and bonuses for cutting off your healthcare and thus protecting (and increasing) the profits of their corporations. The current private U.S. system has created a race to the bottom in terms of patient care, and has motivated health workers to focus on profit over people. This has allowed greed and corruption to take control of the system. This is the nature of private business... which is why it is the wrong framework for providing healthcare.

In contrast, national health systems in other countries focus on prevention and on the needs of the human being, rather than on the profits of a corporation. The systems are not driven by profit. Once you remove the element of private corporate profits- (Healthcare as a business)- the focus is placed on the patient. In the U.S., workers in the private healthcare industry are rewarded with cash bonuses based on the number of people they turn away (many of whom ultimately get sicker and die). They are offered incentives for making you sicker. But in State controlled health systems overseas, healthcare workers (Doctors in the UK for example) are given bonuses based on the number of people who they can make healthier. The focus of a good State run health system (People) is completely the opposite of what the focus is in the current private health system in the U.S. (Profits).

Just imagine if other critical sectors of the society were controlled by private interests instead of public interests. Could you imagine private police forces? This is already happening ladies and gentleman in certain corners of American society. Imagine a situation where private corporations offered police services to cities and counties across the nation. The private corporation would be responsible of setting standards and the concern would be to provide service at the cheapest cost. The city would be concerned with obtaining the lowest bid contract. And the company would have an interest in paying police the least amount possible to provide the service as a way of maximizing profits.

Could you imagine a private FDA? Well guess what.... we already have that by proxy. The FDA is owned and operated by the private drug industry.... they not only have the FDA and the Congress people in their pockets... these Corporations have their own people working in the government....and vice versa, retired government folks go on to work as corporate officers or board members of the companies that they regulate (something that should be outright illegal). This is why we have so many drugs making people sick...and so many drugs flooding the market in general...and at such high prices that many people can't even afford the decent (low risk & relatively safe) drugs that they need.

Could you imagine private soldiers and private militias driven by profits and accountable to no one? This is already happening as well.

Private ambulance companies??? This is an industry that has been around for a while and it is growing. Many communities are turning to private ambulance services because they are cheaper. Cheaper often = ambulance crews who earn just a few bucks above minimum wage. The city of St. Louis uses private ambulance companies to augment the small St. Louis Fire Department fleet. If something major happens in the city of St. Louis...like a 9/11 type mass casualty event... there would not be nearly enough ambulance crews to deal with it (Not even with the St. Louis Metro Mutual Aid System, which is a pretty impressive system). Such a major disaster in St. Louis would be a calamity....because again, the focus is on profits, rather than Public Safety and Health. I recall one case where a man waited over 20 minutes for one of the private ambulances to arrive. The man, a heart attack victim, did not survive. The private ambulance company continues to take ambulance calls for the city.

But the list goes on and on. We are slowly losing critical sectors or institutions to private corporate interests.... Sectors like public health should not be profit driven industries.

I give the film 4 1/2 Stars out of 5. And it should be considered for an Oscar (for a Documentary) in my humble opinion.

That's all for now....