What the 1 percent got, and what we need
Politics: Medicare+ for All - Let's win it!
One of the biggest problems the Left has right now is a lack of leadership. Yes, we should appreciate our growing numbers of pundits and activists on the left: Chris Hedges, Cornel West, Nina Turner, Jimmy Dore, Krystal Ball, Tim Black, Nico House, The Grayzone, Rolling Stone’s Useful Idiots, The Intercept and many more. They should be a key part of building an unstoppable movement for free, quality health care, now.
The “Progressives” in the Democratic Party are in disarray with the Bernie Sanders campaign crumbling before our eyes. The picture is bleak right now with Bernie nursing his wounds, the “squad” focusing on their reelection to Congress. Tulsi Gabbard’s quixotic campaign for president has ended. There are a number of highly qualified Black, Asian and Latino and white “personalities,” but none among them possesses the celebrity and commitment of a Martin Luther King, Jr. No one has stepped forward to help the broader left regain momentum.
Who is on the left, and who isn’t. Let’s make it easier by asking who is in favor of an enhanced Medicare for All program, and who will fight for it? There are certainly other urgent priorities for the working class, but we’re more likely to succeed if we do one thing at a time. That one thing should be health care right now in view of the devastation being done by the Coronavirus.
We can quickly build a mass movement of millions who will take to the streets, write letters, sign petitions, call their Congresspeople, and make use of every resource we can find. After the recent giveaways to the 1 percent, including the so-called CARES Act, which amount to trillions of dollars, the lie that we can’t afford Medicare for All stands exposed. Instead, the truth is we can’t afford a government that does not protect the health and welfare of its people.
There are many problems with the current Medicare program. It does not provide fully-paid medical, which is becoming painfully obvious in this time of crisis. It forces seniors to buy a private supplement to cover those items that Medicare won’t pay. And even then, many health care needs aren’t met.
Let’s try to fix that by calling for a Medicare+ for All. This plan would cover people of all ages and would include all treatments, prescription drugs, devices, emergency care, preventive measures, rehabilitative care, longterm care, mental healthcare, dental care, vision care, hearing aids, women's healthcare, and care for work-related injuries. The plan would be empowered to negotiate with all vendors and pharmaceutical providers. The plan would not be dependent on job status, or any other factor.
The Plan should implement the principle of equal care for all. The plan would be evaluated by data on outreach, access, treatments, and outcomes, as well as inspections; administration of the Plan should be modified to achieve equal outreach, access, treatment, and outcome for all. An oversight board, made up of working doctors, nurses and healthcare advocates should be created to oversee the plan and report to the public. The oversight board should have the authority to take over healthcare facilities that have been closed, or are providing inferior or discriminatory service. Privacy of online medical records should be protected by the most advanced encryption and other safeguards.
This is a much needed solution to the lack of quality, free healthcare which affects, to a greater or lesser extent, 329,588,430 Americans (as of May 1, 2020). A determined campaign for Medicare+ for All would seize the imagination of the vast majority of Americans. Congressional members would soon understand that their prospects of being reelected would be dependent on their affirmative vote on this bill.
Without a recognized leader who is ready to take up the challenge, we need to rely on a Steering Committee for Medicare+ for All, made up of strong advocates for Universal Health Care who are willing to rouse working people and small businesses to join in a tsunami headed straight for the Capitol. This country would never be the same!
_________________________________________ Cartoon by Khalil Bendib
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