Bill Moyers on Obama and Health Care Reform

Bill Maher Interviews Bill Moyers: The Conscience of a Nation

Protected content

Quotes from the interview:

"Having been there, I find it hard to understand why this country has not embraced the notion of healthcare as a common human need to which everyone should have access, regardless of their economical resources. I just don’t understand that.”

“The problem is not the Republican Party; the problem is the Democratic Party.”

“The reason for that, in the time that I’ve been there, forty years ago - the Democratic Party has become like the Republican Party, deeply influenced by corporate money. …the money for Obama’s re-election will come from the healthcare industry, the drug industry and Wall Street.”

“In the last thirty years, Buckley v. Valeo, a decision by the courts which allowed money to flow into politics… If you as a citizen can contribute to a political party, a corporation should be allowed to contribute to the political process, that’s the way the legal rulings have been going. “

“You really have two corporate parties, who in their own way, their own time, serving basically, a narrow set of economical interests in the county. In an article in Newsweek,…those narrow interests seem to win, no matter how many Democrats are elected… determine the outcome, even when they run roughshod over the interests of the ordinary people. I’m sad to say that, that’s happened to the Democratic Party.”

“We are the only Western democracy that has not embraced universal healthcare as a means of social justice. Our health care system is run by the drug industry, the health insurance industry, and Wall Street. Which means a relative handful of unaccountable executives, and anonymous investors whose primary interest is n increasing the value of the company shares and increasing the company’s profits. That’s their interest. That is a good business model, because it’s made a lot of money….But that is not the way to decide who lives, or dies. Or who suffers and who gets what. It’s just not the way, but because money is the measure of success today, both parties serve the for profit motive. “

“Article last week in Business Week…everyone knows the White House has already made a deal with the drug industry. Already made a deal with the drug industry, promising to not import cheaper drugs from Canada and Europe, promising not to use the Government to negotiate lower prices, that deal’s been cut.”

“Much better that Barrack Obama go back to universal healthcare, puts the care of patients back in the care of doctors. And lose. If he were to do that and lose this fall, it would re-invigorate, I promise you - a Party that doesn’t know who it is or what it’s for.”

Question is how does health care work in your country? Why do you think Americans can't get it together?