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FOCUS: Scott Galindez | Universal Health Care From Prenatal to Grave
Scott Galindez, Reader Supported News
Galindez writes: "What many people don't realize is the Freedom Caucus killed Trump/Ryan care because it covered too much. They didn't want their donors from the insurance industry to be forced to pay for things like prenatal care, an ambulance to get you to the hospital, or prescription drugs."
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Scott Galindez, Reader Supported News
Galindez writes: "What many people don't realize is the Freedom Caucus killed Trump/Ryan care because it covered too much. They didn't want their donors from the insurance industry to be forced to pay for things like prenatal care, an ambulance to get you to the hospital, or prescription drugs."
READ MORE
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Universal Health Care From Prenatal to Grave
28 March 17
magine if everyone had health care from conception to death. I'm sure there are members of the Freedom Caucus who want health care for the unborn. It seems they care less about people after they are born. You see, after birth they care more about keeping pictures of dead presidents in their wallets.
What many people don't realize is the Freedom Caucus killed Trump/Ryan care because it covered too much. They didn't want their donors from the insurance industry to be forced to pay for things like prenatal care, an ambulance to get you to the hospital, or prescription drugs. They almost got their way: on the eve of the non-vote, Trump and Ryan agreed to get rid of the minimum coverage regulations that came with Obamacare.
They claimed they were defending our freedom not to have to pay for what we don't need. Nonsense. Your insurance company is not billed for things you don't use. Just because a plan has to cover prenatal care doesn't mean a young man's insurance company has to pay for prenatal care for him.
The Freedom Caucus was not representing you and me. They were looking out for insurance industry lobbyists who wanted to go back to the days when they could sell you junk. The only freedom on their agenda was for insurance companies to have the freedom to let you die.
The politics of health care and insurance are complicated things. Health coverage doesn't have to be. The conflict between the Libertarian philosophy of everyone for themselves and the progressive belief that we should take care of each other is not an easy one to bridge. The solution is very simple, just not likely politically. Single payer is the answer, and I want to take on some of the myths that make single payer a difficult move politically.
Myth: It Will Cost Too Much
Medicaid is a perfect model for what single payer would look like in the end, except that all doctors would see all patients. I know some of you are screaming at your keyboard the right question: why do many doctors not see Medicaid patients? Because they have a better deal and can make more money from patients with private insurers. I hear people argue that if the government were the single payer, then the health care industry would find it easier to rip us off. The exact opposite is true. The government does a better job of negotiating prices with providers. Insurance companies are willing to pay more to get exclusive access for their patients. The government doesn't need to increase the size of their networks. As the only payer, the government could set the prices like they do with Medicaid and keep costs down.
Medical providers would be forced to accept all patients, since there wouldn't be any with insurance that will pay more than the government. So yes, being a doctor would become less profitable. The trade-off would be everyone is insured, so everyone becomes a paying patient. It works all over the world.
Myth: Single Payer Causes Long Lines
Well, I guess it is not a myth. Of course lines are longer: everyone can afford to be in the line. For elective surgeries in countries with universal health care, there are waiting lists. In our current system, there are shorter lines because people go without procedures they need because they can't afford them. Gone would be the days that people went without based on their finances. Of course, people with money come from Canada to get to our shorter lines if they can afford it. It would be hard though to find a Canadian who would trade their "coverage" for ours. They just have to wait a little longer for elective procedures.
Myth: We Will Have to Pay More
You would pay higher taxes, but you would pay no premiums, no deductibles, and you would get your prescriptions for free. I hear you screaming, nothing is free. Of course, it isn't free; we pay for it in our taxes. Gone would be the days when you went into debt to pay your medical bills.
How Do We Get There?
Simple, add a public option to the Affordable Care Act. The government will negotiate plans like they do with Medicaid and not have profit built into their negotiations. They will create plans that the insurance companies will not be able to compete against. We can slowly transition to single payer, working out the kinks as we go. Before you completely dismiss this proposal as too radical, remember even Hillary Clinton supported a public option in the last election. Of course the Republican Congress is not going to approve a public option, but if voters see through the Republican agenda and make 2018 a change election, we can nominate and elect a President in 2020 who will support a public option.
We just have to stop watering down our message to become "electable." The people are ready for change, not more establishment politics. There was a candidate in 2016 who understood that. Polls now rate him as the most popular politician in America.
Scott Galindez attended Syracuse University, where he first became politically active. The writings of El Salvador's slain archbishop Oscar Romero and the on-campus South Africa divestment movement converted him from a Reagan supporter to an activist for Peace and Justice. Over the years he has been influenced by the likes of Philip Berrigan, William Thomas, Mitch Snyder, Don White, Lisa Fithian, and Paul Wellstone. Scott met Marc Ash while organizing counterinaugural events after George W. Bush's first stolen election. Scott moved to Des Moines in 2015 to cover the Iowa Caucus.
Reader Supported News is the Publication of Origin for this work. Permission to republish is freely granted with credit and a link back to Reader Supported News.
http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/42724-focus-universal-health-care-from-prenatal-to-grave
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