Elizabeth Edwards to have Obama's ear

Ok queen elizabeth thinks Obamas health plan is the best for her illness? Oh boy,am I dreaming or I am dead right the liberals are already planning Obamas defeat.

This again increases my admiration for Sen. Obama: his ease and ability to work with those who do not fully see eye to eye with him on issues.

so much for single-payer universal health insurance !!

This is what the people want overwhelmingly. One payment, per household, all the basic health coverages, not 5000 companies, with 5000 rates, color coded and categorized bronz, platinum, gold, blue, yellow green, NO.

one payment per household, basic health coverage for every one !

Sure....why not pick Hillary? This is only her signature issue and one that she has experience with for years! Oh yeah...that's right....we don't care about experience during this election. And you call this unity! I'm done with the DNC!

Right on M. Siddique! And skmj, trust me Elizabeth Edwards does not need Obama's help in getting health insurance. Her husband ran on a platform that everyone should have the same excellent coverage that Elizabeth and he enjoys so that when dealing with illness or injury, nevermind catastrophic illness, we'd all be covered.

John Edwards also wanted mental health covered with 100% parity just as physical disease is (since mental health illness generally stems from some type of brain dysfunction). Elizabeth Edwards is a true public servant who has continued to fight even on days when everyone else expected her to lie down and be done with it. She's an amazing role model for women so really there's no need for rude personal character attacks.

If you look at other universal health care providing countries like Canada or UK, you will find a lot of abuse of the system. Providing an affordable health-care will make it more efficient, not to drain national resource and abuse to death.

Any health care plan is better than no health care plan. We all respect Mr. McCain but his continue of dead President walking policy made him McBush and we all know right now Bush is done with the way the economic and the war going.
99.99% of people want Bush out now. The other .01% is Bush and Cheney and their old buddies.

Brilliant move for Obama to include Elizabeth Edwards on his Health Care team, knowing that she prefers mandated Insurance coverage. She will be forthright and honest.

Way to go BO! Now if your plan for health care changes to look exactly like Hillary's, it isn't your fault! It's Mrs. Edwards' because she always liked Hillary's plan better!

Obama '08 - Change you can believe in ... just not define, predict, count on or quantify.

While spending billions in war and aiding corrupt governments such as Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan etc.. at the sometime WORKING adult cannot afford healthcare, how in the world people could afford to buy health insurance. McCanin simply out of touch and you will lose big time!!

Skmj -
You seem to be mistaken. What this is saying is that Obama is going to be working with Elizabeth Edwards to IMPROVE his health care plan. Obama may become president, but that doesn't mean when he sits down to get to work he will only rely on his ideas. We can still have an Obama presidency and may end up with a Clinton style healthcare bill.

I am basically sick of left/right crap this election season. This will be a good country when people look at a candidate's beliefs and goals and then decide for themselves who to vote for instead of smearing those that wear the 'wrong' color.

Elizabeth Edwards is great and she's right. If you have to choose between gas, food and insurance what are you going to cut? Coverage should be universal.

Forseeing, FourthComming... Pres. Obama will be man of they year in 2010.

If putting a legistlative gun to people's head and FORCING them to buy insurance (which is often unaffordable, inadequate in coverage, or both) on pain of fines, is that's being more "comprehensive" and "helping" people more, then we're better off without such "help"..

The best proposal I've seen is the one which a recent study shows 59% of physicians now support..basically medicare for all, see
http://www.pnhp.org/facts/single_payer_resources.php/#myths_facts

When will we stop believing the myths and take the beaurocratic private middleman out from between patient and doctor like just about every other western country does?

you can tell more by ignoring what people say and watching what they do... this train wreck ought to be fun to watch

Thank you, Elizabeth Edwards, for fighting for us.

Medicare spends only 2% of its costs on administration. Private health insurers spend more like 15% on administration--probably a good deal of this expense on trying to eliminate every possible claim via every possible loophole.

you can tell more by ignoring what people say and watching what they do... this train wreck ought to be fun to watch

gaypastor...Hillary has earned more than a policy position. That would be like putting her in a cabinet position...no if on the ticket, than support her on a quest to become the lion of the senate...she can influence healthcare...but not work for Obama to get it done...Edwards is a good choice on the team to help shape and carry out Obama's vision

Interesting that he chose Elizabeth vs Hillary on this one. I wonder if this is his way of distancing himself from her?

One of the startling parts of Obama's demeanor is that he is willing to learn, and Elizabeth Edwards is especially good to learn from. I'm surprised that people "blame" Obama for reaching out to Elizabeth Edwards. Hillary is definitey knowledgeable, but it's not clear that she and Barack can share information where she is informed and ALSO share information where HE is informed. She has a tendency to be waspish when irritated.

I agree, Marirose. Elizabeth is a great role model. None of the front runners (Dems, that is) deserves to be trashed.

I live in Canada and we do not have a significant amount of abuse of the system at all!

elizabeth Edwards is not a public servant. she is the wife of one. She has worked as an attorney and has not held office herself. I think that the choice of Elizabeth Edwards is a message to Senator Clinton

On the comments above, skmj, did you not read the article. It clearly states that Elizabeth Edwards preferred Hillary's plan.... I believe that it is a smart move to get Elizabeith involved. She also has fought for healthcare. She just has not had the stage that Hillary has had. Healthcare is a hot topic and I believe it will be addressed. I think that Elizabeith may tap Hillary into this arena. With both working on this national priority, I believe tthat at last we will have the coverage that we all deserve, that is until the Republicans get back in and begin to dismantle it. Believe me, I have seen it before.....

Zabbar, there is plenty of abuse of the American system as it is. Wherever anyone thinks they can game the system, the system will be gamed. And there will be abuses in any system by both doctors and by patients.

If you want an example of draining our national coffers, just look to the unnecessary war in Iraq. One could pay for a national healthcare system with the amount of money we're throwing away trying to nation-build a country that does not want us there. And we'll need to throw away even more money to keep Iraq's neighbors, especially Iran, from feasting on the spoils of the failed nation we created.

Meantime, Afghanistan descends into a quagmire as we continue to ignore the REAL war on terrorism.

I should mention, Canada has a balanced budget.

A one-payer system spreads the risk. When you spread the risk by making 20-somethings pay for insurance, the insurance companies can cover more for less. it's that simple. And if the laws prohibit insurance companies from making more profit than they ought to, the rates will be reasonable.

I appreciate what Senator Clinton and Mrs. Edwards were doing and standing for in this campaign. This is an essentially pro-woman initiative, as women need healthcare at all ages more than men do. This is smart politics and that is something Senator Obama seems to stand for.

I'm puzzled by the specter of "abuse of the system" raised against mandated public coverage. First, as a health care provider, I know commercial insurance doesn't control "abuse" any more than publicly funded care. But more importantly, I'm sure that the so-called abuses of providers and amount to only small fraction of the 30 cents per dollar we now pay in overblown insurance fees to for-profit cost-containment-organizations (a.k.a. insurance companies) and procedure-crazed hospitals. Of course, neither PMO's (Profit Maximization Organizations) nor hospitals have any vested interest in our long-term care, since our insurance plans change as fast as our jobs or our employers choices of carriers. Let's stop abusing our health by treating it as an inert commodity for profitable speculation and manipulation. That's the real abuse and cost!

Wow.

All I can say is good luck in November. You are all acting as if he had a lock on the presidency. He does not.

True UHC is Hillary's baby. While it is a good thing for the country, it would be sad to see BO take credit for it. He lacks originality when it comes to policy. He has lifted so material much from Hillary (and others).

I will not vote for BO, but, I will vote.

I am not an angry white woman. I am a proud latina, veteran, college graduate, and a new Independent.

To Hillary, much gratitude. To the party, good riddance.

Hillary is the better candidate. She suspended her campaign. She still has her delegates. She will go to convention and make sure the party adopts True UHC as a part of the party platform. Her delegates and total popular vote count will be entered into the record. This will ensure that her historic campaign paves the way for a woman president to be elected in the future.

Children, children, you are going to be so disappointed with Obama.

If he isn't elected your crushed if he is elected you will find it's ALL WORDS and we all will suffer.

Please remember you had a chance for change and security with Hillary and you chose WORDS.

You will be wiser next time.

What a slap in the face to Senator Hillary Clinton. Health care has always been her expertise and I can't believe he turned to Elizabeth Edwards instead. This cements my vote for John McCain in the fall - Obama is too disrespectful.

I don't get it. Didn't he say the other day that Clinton would be working on Health Care? Where's the unity?

Many disaffected democrats are coming together to voice our outrage at how Clinton has been treated by her own Party. Right now, this is about all the unity the DNC will be seeing come November when we unite to elect John McCain.

Why is an alliance with Elizabeth Edwards exclusive of an alliance with Hillary Clinton. Is Obama not allowed to solicit help from two intelligent women on this issue?

I agree - what a slap in the face to Hillary. His arrogance is stunning - I just knew he is a jerk! I'm really sad :-(

I don't get it. Obama is the unofficial nominee because of more than 90 percent of blacks and because of naive college students. Hillary won nearly all of the important big Blue states and swing states. And yet, now people speak of Obama as if he's the second coming of Christ? Give me a break!

It's always weird for a French, who benefits from what is considered as the Rolls Royce of health care, to listen to americans.

First of all, do you know that a shot, or a visit to your physician, costs 3 times more than we pay?
That we don't have to pay a dime for long illnesses : cancer, diabetis, cholesterol... or pregnancy (I know, they are not sick, but it's part of it), children illnesses.....

I think that what Obama is offering is much better than Hillary's plan. You have to come gradually to a common plan without being forced to it. It'll take time, but the concept is the same as ours. It rests on a common support. Of course you pay when are not sick, but the day you need it, you can rely upon it.
For us, it's a unique system ran by the State (federal for you), and created by de Gaulle after WWII... and we couldn't imagine anything else.

Just one more information, you pay according to to your income, and that way the rich pay for the poor. Isn't that just social justice somewhere?

By the way, I'm not what Americans might call a socialist (never voted for them), I'm listed moderate right wing and voted for Sarkozy. But left or right we are very happy with our system, even if it's not perfect.

Might you get half of it, and you'll see the difference.
And stop just thinking politics, it's pure shame that such a big country doesn't still have health insurance. That's the only problem that needs to be solved for the sake of ALL american citizens.

We are way behind the times for universal health insurance. What we should do is put everyone on Medicare. Since it's already in place, all we have to do is change the age to effective at birth and make the premiums according to income. It's not as hard as people make it out to be. Everyone will be covered. I admire and respect Elizabeth Edwards, but health care is Clinton's baby and she earned the right to head up that field. I'm disappointed in Obama. I might not even vote in the fall.

He is trying to show unity and return the favors of all the endorsements he bought. I wonder how much Elizabeth will get paid for that advice. I could care less any longer because I have moved on from the party I once supported.

Re: #6

The Canadian health system does work fairly well. I know nothing about the UK health system.

It might be a good idea to give every American this basic right or privilege. Another area worth having a look at: death penalty, including perhaps improving the public defender system for poor people accused of serious crimes.

What, this means is nothing at all, people who think this means anything lack an understanding of nuance, all this is is name dropping, of course Mrs. edwards is going to help him now that he's the nominee, but it doesn't mean any part of his plan will change, what it is intended to do is to be a way to bring in those hillary supporters who like Mrs edwards but are a bit hesitant to support Obama. By saying she's part of his team he is giving them a reason to jump on board, even though the comment is meaningless

OBama is the presumptive nominee b/c the DNC and supers strong armed Hillary and because MSM failed to vet him; failed to ask him tough questions, like is what Larry Sinclair saying true? What about "pay to play" Chicago politics? If this country goes to pot b/c of Obama we can thank MSNBC AND CNN.

If you want to see what a public servant Elizabeth is watch the following two videos. If the links don't work, go to youtube.com and search for "Elizabeth Edwards+Rage for Justice." These are two 10 minute videos links below that are well worth your time to watch. Just because someone is a lawyer and their philanthropy does not make the MSM, does not make them a non-public servant. I hope you will watch these videos and yes, just b/c Obama is listening to the wise Elizabeth Edwards does not exclude Hillary's input.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=6xVy86_xFqA
http://youtube.com/watch?v=MPBnZDvGJ08&feature=related

"Elizabeth Edwards to have Obama's ear"

Ummm, not so much. Thanks for the laughs, though, Losercrats! Can't wait for all the convention antics!