A group of doctors who are “mad as hell” rally on Capitol Square to show support for single payer health care.
An Oregon health care advocacy group held a protest Thursday on the Capitol steps to garner support in their nationwide campaign for single-payer universal health care.
Mad as Hell Doctors, the protest’s host, is composed of physicians and health care professionals who are currently traveling across the nation and holding town hall-style meetings to advocate single-payer health care and hear from concerned citizens.
State Sen. Mark Miller, D-Madison, participated in the event and said good health care coverage is a basic human right and no one should be allowed to die because they cannot afford health care.
“In a civilized society, timely and appropriate health care is the right of every human being,” Miller said. “It is our right regardless of whether we are rich or poor, regardless of whether we are young or old … regardless if we are sick or well and regardless of [race].”The Wisconsin Senate passed a comprehensive health care plan called Healthy Wisconsin as part of the 2007-09 biennium budgetto provide high-quality insurance for residents who were not already covered under federal health care plans. The bill, however, failed in the Republican-controlled Assembly.
Adam Klugman, creative director for the Mad as Hell Doctors, said the group has been met with the same enthusiasm and support at every stop they have made on their tour.
“I know that we represent millions of people who know that single payer is the only solution,” Klugman said. “I call it the single-payer nation.”
The group’s doctors, as well as members of the crowd, were “mad as hell” about a number of health issues, including profit-centered health care, lack of patient priority, lack of government regulations on insurance companies, delayed health care and public misinformation.
Dr. Robert Seward, a Mad doctor who graduated from University of Wisconsin Medical School, said he is especially disappointed the U.S. is ranked 37th in the world for health care coverage.
UW graduate student Chris Dols was one of a few attendees who were invited to speak onstage during the rally.
“I think we need more people like [Mad as Hell Doctors] and we need to build a movement,” Dols said. “Our whole generation has lived through a period in which we haven’t had social movements … but if you look back to a period where people fought for equality, we actually saw this country change.”
Dols added he thinks the gay rights movement should be combined with the health care movement, as the civil rights and anti-war movements coincided in the ’60s.
Mike Mikalsen, spokesperson for Rep. Steve Nass, R-Whitewater, said Nass opposes single-payer health care because it is not valuable in terms of providing quality health care.
“When the government is in charge of paying, doctors and health care providers are not independent but are government aids,” Mikalsen said. “It makes the health care situation even worse.”
Mikalsen added the majority of people who do have insurance are happy with their coverage and said government-controlled health care would provide fewer benefits than private insurance.
