Many people still don't understand what Medicare-- let alone Medicare-for-All-- actually means. But, despite a barrage of propaganda against it from the Sickness-Industrial Complex, Fox News, Hate Talk Radio and the Republican Party, it polls very well. The brand new EconomistYouGov poll asked registered voters "Do you support or oppose Medicare for all ?" More people supported it nationally and in every region of the country:
Nationally• Support- 49%• Oppose- 34%Northeast
• Support- 52%• Oppose- 32%Midwest
• Support- 47%• Oppose- 38%South
• Support- 50%• Oppose- 31%West
• Support- 47%• Oppose- 38%
This seems to be worrying Señor Trumpanzee, whose regime has done nothing but make false promises and work towards kicking as many people off healthcare as possible. So, according to Health Exec Magazine, he's trying to come up with an alternative to Medicare-for-All that his base may like. Amy Baxter reported that "Trump’s more comprehensive healthcare plan will likely be revealed in a speech scheduled for September... While details of the plan are scant, it reportedly offers coverage for people with pre-existing conditions and will allow the sale of insurance between states... The reports come at a time when the ACA is facing a major legal battle after a federal judge found the healthcare unconstitutional in late 2018. Protection for people with pre-existing conditions is one of the most popular provisions of the ACA. The case is pending appeal. The Trump administration, which has backed the Republican-launched lawsuit to overturn the ACA, is also planning its healthcare reform in case the healthcare law is struck down." The idea of electing some exceptionally smart people to Congress is an especially good idea when the Executive Branch is infected with rampaging stupidity and willful ignorance. CA-16 is on the verge of electing one of those rare, exceptionally smart people-- and to replace a pretty useless dumb one, Blue Dog Jim Costa. Kim Williams has worked as a diplomat and a college teacher, among other jobs. When I asked her about "TrumpCare," she pretty much explained why she's supporting Medicare-for-All and why we all should, telling me that "From 2002-2017, California’s family coverage premiums increased by 248.8%, and middle-class families now spend 24.8% more on healthcare than they did in 2007. In total, Americans spend $1 trillion on private insurance premiums, and we spend twice as much per person on healthcare as almost every other person on earth when you count in premiums, deductibles, co-payments and out-of-network charges. But this high cost comes with no guarantee of better access to care. In our district, which is also home to some of the worst air pollution in the U.S., residents can see their lives cut short by as many as 20 years based on the zip code they are born into, and we have 62,000 individuals with no insurance coverage at all. Meanwhile in Germany, a country with far more doctors per capita than the U.S., working people pay 7.5% of their income towards comprehensive insurance, and 76% percent of residents can access a doctor the same or next day. It’s time to change the debate around Medicare-for-All, and we can begin by acknowledging that the government already finances and/or manages healthcare for about 43% of the U.S. population. Moving everyone over to a plan that covers us all does not come with the impossible price tag that the medical industrial complex would suggest. Right now we spend approximately $900B on private premiums and $100B in public program spending. Its largely the same amount of money coming from a different place, only the majority of us would see an additional $3,000 back in their pockets at the end of the year. So it’s not just that Medicare for All would increase access to care, it is the best option to save more lives and more money for the country as a whole."Around a third of Americans (34%) feel Trump is honest and trustworthy. It's not likely more than that expect him to help when it comes to healthcare. I asked some of the Blue America-endorsed congressional candidates how they tackle the problem when they're serving in the House. Shaniyat Chowdhury, who is running for a New Dem-held seat in southeast Queens, is an unabashed supporter of the House version of Bernie's Medicare-for-All bill (Pramila Jayapal's H.R 676). His statement is crystal clear and unambiguous. If you like it-- and what Kim had to say above and what Eva and Brianna said below-- please consider contributing to their campaigns by clicking on the 2020 thermometer:
The American healthcare system needs to be completely overhauled. Approximately 44 million people in this country have no health insurance, and an additional 38 million are underinsured. This means preventable catastrophes play out across our nation every day-- people lose their homes because they can’t pay their medical bills; they don’t seek medical attention when needed; and they ration the medication they need to survive and die as a result. Even for those who are insured, our current system is not an efficient or effective one. Americans pay some of the highest rates for medical care in the world but rank only 37th in health outcomes. This disparity is a result of health insurance companies wasting money on excessive administrative costs while patients have to fight for the services they need. Americans also pay significantly more for the same prescription drugs as our Canadian and European counterparts because the pharmaceutical industry has the power to set prices without any meaningful regulation. Our lawmakers have failed to act to make drug pricing fairer for all Americans, as they accept donations from the powerful pharmaceutical and insurance lobbies. We need to drastically shift how we see healthcare. It is not a commodity-- it is a human right. Every person in the United States should have access to good doctors and the medical care they need. Nobody should die because they can’t afford insulin, or lose their home because of exorbitant medical bills. There are approximately 55,000 people in our district without health insurance and this is unacceptable. Every New Yorker deserves healthcare.
Brianna Wu is running for an incumbent so reactionary that he didn't even vote for ObamaCare-- and in one of the bluest districts in the country! "The right," she told me this afternoon, "can’t argue against Medicare for All on the merits. Not only will it cost much less, guarantee coverage for all, it will also create jobs. That’s why they have to mislead people about what’s in it. Fox is nothing but propaganda wing for corporatists, convincing people to vote against their own best interests. That’s why we have to be consistent and clear. And let’s be clear. There’s a lot of money to be made by exploiting people in the midst of a medical crisis. That’s why Big Pharma spends so much money getting Congress to do nothing. I won’t take their money as a candidate, and I certainly will not take it as your congresswoman."Eva Putzova is an enthusiastic campaigner for Medicare-for-All. She was a Bernie delegate to the DNC last cycle and replacing Blue Dog (and "ex"-Republican) Tom O'Halleran with her would be a godsend to the people in Arizona's sprawling first congressional district-- and to everyone impacted by what Congress does-- i.e., all of us. "Our healthcare system," she said this morning, "is broken and needs an immediate overhaul. When people choose to take an Uber instead of an ambulance because they can’t pay the bill or spend hours on the phone with their insurance company that keeps denying claims for their sick son’s medications-- stories from my district I’ve heard just in the last few weeks, something is terribly wrong. When thousands of people declare bankruptcy each year due to exorbitant medical bills, and low-income seniors are forced to choose between paying for their prescription medications or buying food, and the price of life-saving drugs like insulin are made unaffordable to those who need it by profiteering drug companies, and many rural areas have essentially NO emergency facilities, no hospitals, and no specialists, then it is time for a radical overhaul of our system. The Medicare-for-All legislation introduced into the House by Representative and the Senate would address the problems of access, affordability and quality of care. Healthcare should be a right and that’s what I will fight for when elected to Congress."
