Was Nixon a progressive?

WTF's Avatar
  • WTF
  • 09-04-2022, 11:32 AM
https://khn.org/news/nixon-proposal/

Kaiser Health News
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Nixon’s Plan For Health Reform, In His Own Words
SEPTEMBER 3, 2009
President Richard Nixon’s Special Message to the Congress Proposing a Comprehensive Health Insurance Plan

February 6, 1974

From The American Presidency Project, University of California at Santa Barbara

To the Congress of the United States:

One of the most cherished goals of our democracy is to assure every American an equal opportunity to lead a full and productive life.

Related Content
Obama’s Health Care Dilemma Evokes Memories Of 1974

In the last quarter century, we have made remarkable progress toward that goal, opening the doors to millions of our fellow countrymen who were seeking equal opportunities in education, jobs and voting.

Now it is time that we move forward again in still another critical area: health care.

Without adequate health care, no one can make full use of his or her talents and opportunities. It is thus just as important that economic, racial and social barriers not stand in the way of good health care as it is to eliminate those barriers to a good education and a good job.

Three years ago, I proposed a major health insurance program to the Congress, seeking to guarantee adequate financing of health care on a nationwide basis. That proposal generated widespread discussion and useful debate. But no legislation reached my desk.

Today the need is even more pressing because of the higher costs of medical care. Efforts to control medical costs under the New Economic Policy have been Inept with encouraging success, sharply reducing the rate of inflation for health care. Nevertheless, the overall cost of health care has still risen by more than 20 percent in the last two and one-half years, so that more and more Americans face staggering bills when they receive medical help today
winn dixie's Avatar
No he was not.
WTF's Avatar
  • WTF
  • 09-04-2022, 11:40 AM
No he was not. Originally Posted by winn dixie
Well According to the article, he would be considered so now....he was the father of the CHIPS program.
... Surely agree-with WTF here.

Nixon gotta be a Progressive.... He used dirty tricks, didn't he?

### Salty
  • Tiny
  • 09-04-2022, 12:25 PM
Progressive? Progressives just want to rob the capitalists and the corporations through higher taxes and squander the money.

Nixon would have required employers and employees to jointly pay for medical insurance. Those without jobs whose families made less than about $30,000 in today’s dollars wouldn’t pay a dime. Others without employers would have to kick in. And most importantly, unlike Obama and the Democrats in his first term, Nixon would have implemented measures to bring costs down. Overall the federal government probably would be out less on this than what it pays today for Medicare, Medicaid, veterans health care, and Obamacare.

We pay 18% of GDP for health care, and outcomes are worse than many countries which pay far less. Hell, if we had a federal government that was capable of spending 6% or 8% of GDP and providing all health care services, and providing good outcomes, then maybe we should socialize medicine. We don’t though at the federal level. Our federal government is hopeless.

This outfit is probably left wing btw:

https://www.commonwealthfund.org/blo...-richard-nixon
WTF's Avatar
  • WTF
  • 09-04-2022, 01:09 PM

Nixon would have required employers and employees to jointly pay for medical insurance. Those without jobs whose families made less than about $30,000 in today’s dollars wouldn’t pay a dime. Originally Posted by Tiny
Sounds rather progressive to me!

Who knew...JFK was a Conseratives and tricky Dicky a Progressive!
Yssup Rider's Avatar
Progressive? Progressives just want to rob the capitalists and the corporations through higher taxes and squander the money.

Nixon would have required employers and employees to jointly pay for medical insurance. Those without jobs whose families made less than about $30,000 in today’s dollars wouldn’t pay a dime. Others without employers would have to kick in. And most importantly, unlike Obama and the Democrats in his first term, Nixon would have implemented measures to bring costs down. Overall the federal government probably would be out less on this than what it pays today for Medicare, Medicaid, veterans health care, and Obamacare.

We pay 18% of GDP for health care, and outcomes are worse than many countries which pay far less. Hell, if we had a federal government that was capable of spending 6% or 8% of GDP and providing all health care services, and providing good outcomes, then maybe we should socialize medicine. We don’t though at the federal level. Our federal government is hopeless.

This outfit is probably left wing btw:

https://www.commonwealthfund.org/blo...-richard-nixon Originally Posted by Tiny
https://www.influencewatch.org/non-p...th-foundation/

Yeah, real liberal.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHh
  • Tiny
  • 09-04-2022, 03:41 PM
https://www.influencewatch.org/non-p...th-foundation/

Yeah, real liberal.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHh Originally Posted by Yssup Rider
Wrong organization Yssup. This is the actual one:

https://www.commonwealthfund.org/

Just looking at their home page, they’re left of center. And you and I might agree about some of the issues they advocate, just as WTF and I apparently are agreeing about Nixon. Except whether he was a progressive.
WTF's Avatar
  • WTF
  • 09-04-2022, 03:44 PM

We pay 18% of GDP for health care, and outcomes are worse than many countries which pay far less. Hell, if we had a federal government that was capable of spending 6% or 8% of GDP and providing all health care services, and providing good outcomes, then maybe we should socialize medicine. We don’t though at the federal level. Our federal government is hopeless.
] Originally Posted by Tiny
You understand that those countries that pay muc less and have better results are countries which exercise much more control over their Healthcare sector?
Yssup Rider's Avatar
Wrong organization Yssup. This is the actual one:

https://www.commonwealthfund.org/

Just looking at their home page, they’re left of center. And you and I might agree about some of the issues they advocate, just as WTF and I apparently are agreeing about Nixon. Except whether he was a progressive. Originally Posted by Tiny
My bad, Tiny. You’re right.

Here’s the correct report.

https://www.influencewatch.org/non-p...onwealth-fund/

I will add that Nixon was also sweaty, smarmy, paranoid asshole. Just like our former POTUS.
bambino's Avatar
All Presidents were. Except JFK, Reagan and Trump.,
Jacuzzme's Avatar
Sounds rather progressive to me!

Who knew...JFK was a Conseratives and tricky Dicky a Progressive! Originally Posted by WTF
Nixon was a criminal, so he’s got that much in common with democrats.
  • Tiny
  • 09-04-2022, 04:04 PM
You understand that those countries that pay muc less and have better results are countries which exercise much more control over their Healthcare sector? Originally Posted by WTF
If you’re willing to rephrase that to “better control” I’ll agree with you. There’s no free market here. No transparent pricing. High drug prices in part because of overly generous patents. Plaintiffs attorneys driving up prices. Insurance including Medicare that allows patients to get treatment and devices with no out of pocket cost that don’t offer benefits commensurate with cost. Emphasis on emergency room care instead of preventative care. Etc.
No one in Big Pharma, The Medical Industry, or The Insurance Industry is going to loose any money.

Somebody is going to be paying for these services.

Who do you suppose that will be?
  • Tiny
  • 09-04-2022, 09:09 PM
No one in Big Pharma, The Medical Industry, or The Insurance Industry is going to loose any money.

Somebody is going to be paying for these services.

Who do you suppose that will be? Originally Posted by Jackie S
People like you and me, businesses and the taxpayer. Look at this:

https://www.cms.gov/Research-Statist...untsHistorical

In 2020 we paid 19.7% of GDP for healthcare!!!

It's expected to dip back down to about 18% in 2023 before heading back toward 20% afterwards:

https://www.healthaffairs.org/do/10....202020%20level).

We just can't afford that.