Massachusetts Sen. Edward Moore “Ted” Kennedy has died in his home state at the age of 77. Elected to the United States Senate in 1962, the late Sen. Kennedy was an ardent advocate for socialized medicine in America, carrying the torch for decades through major compromises with religious conservatives, such as Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, who co-authored the historic legislation to enact socialized medicine for children, and former President George W. Bush, who led numerous efforts to expand government intervention in medicine.
The goal of government-controlled health care had long been held by Sen. Kennedy, who, with the late President Richard Nixon, is responsible for creating Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs), which reject the concept of an insurance contract for paying claims in favor of a cartel model for rationing health care. Kennedy authored the HMO Act of 1973, which forced all U.S. employers with over 25 employees to offer an HMO. The government-mandated health plans practically eliminated the market for traditional medical insurance within 20 years. Today, Kennedy’s HMOs and their corollaries, Preferred Provider Organizations (PPOs), controlled by state-regulated health care cooperatives such as Blue Cross and Blue Shield, dominate the so-called market for health insurance.
Last year, the senator endorsed Illinois Sen. Barack Obama during the 2008 Democratic Party presidential campaign, and he has steadfastly supported the Obama administration’s campaign to enact total state control of the medical profession. Kennedy reportedly died of cancer at his home in Massachusetts.