uh, holy shit new @Reuters poll— mike casca (@cascamike) August 23, 2018
"would you support a policy of medicare for all?"
democrats: 84.5%
republicans: 51.9%https://t.co/zU5UHPWqby
I guess we've finally figured out how to get Americans on board with universal health care. When Hillary Clinton came up with a plan in 1993, insurance company lobbyists went all out with scare-mongering ads from Harry and Louise. The plan was called communistic. And people didn't like the First Lady taking charge on it. Then more people got sick. Obamacare (the Affordable Care Act) came around in 2010, and was attacked for being socialist plus it was pushed by a black president. A round of compromises was necessary to get it passed, compromises which made sure it would not be sustainable over time. While people who have benefited from it love Obamacare, it has suffered a thousand paper cuts by those who hate it.
But now the majority of Americans -70%, according to a Reuters poll that came out today- think we should provide Medicare For All. The secret was renaming it. People already understand what Medicare is, and how wonderful it's been for the older people in their families. Medicare not only helps grandma get the care she needs, it relieves the financial burden on her children. People who have Medicare are grateful for it, and don't mind to tell you.
Will taxes go up under Medicare For All? Sure! But they won't go up nearly as much as you're paying for health insurance now. (If your workplace provides your insurance gratis now, they should offer a substantial raise under universal health care- they'll be well able to afford it.) And taxes won't go up much at all if the 1% started paying their share. All told, the country will save about $2 trillion over a few years if we enacted it.
Nope. Medicare bites. Fix the ACA instead, which is closer to Germany's healthcare system, with a multi-pronged approach. UHC, yes. Single payer, no.
ReplyDeleteMedicare for all, with private supplemental policies (to appease the health insurance industry) is a close model of the French system.
ReplyDeleteIt works very well.
The ACA is a better approach and closer to the system in Germany.
ReplyDeleteMedicare sucks. Period.
I have to assume you're a Sanders supporter.
Kat MPLS, how does Medicare, in your opinion, compare with no insurance at all? You know, where you pay all medical expenses yourself? That's what I had for close to 40 years.
ReplyDeleteThat's a straw man argument. Lazy.
ReplyDeleteThe point wasn't Medicare versus nothing, it's that Medicare in and of itself is incredibly flawed and offers little in the way of real coverage. No eye care, no dental, short PT visits, no prescription coverage, no long term care, only 80% of hospitalization, etc.
Anything beyond the very basic coverage requires paid supplements, which can easily put it out of reach of anyone on a fixed income. People still go deeply into debt or declare bankruptcy while on Medicare.
There are better systems, as I mentioned, with Germany being one of the main blueprints for the ACA. It's a multi-pronged approach, which works better for many people. The ACA deserves to be fixed, not tossed.
And Sanders, who's been screaming loudest about the Med4All BS, has no sane to pay for it.
If you want to argue further, you're going to have to find someone with whom to do so. I'm finished.
Who's arguing? It was just a question.
ReplyDeleteMy late husband was on Medicare. I am quite thankful for that.