Medicare for All Rallies in 50 Cities Show Big Support for Universal Health Care

[BeckyDem]

Members of National Nurses United union members wave "Medicare for All" signs during a rally in front of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America in Washington, D.C, calling for "Medicare for All" on April 29, 2019.

BY
C.J. Polychroniou, Truthout
PUBLISHED
July 23, 2021

The United States is one of the richest countries in the world, yet its poverty rates are higher and its safety nets are far weaker than those of other industrialized nations. It is also the only large rich country without universal health care. In fact, as Noam Chomsky argued in Truthout, the U.S. health system is an “international scandal.”

Why is the U.S. an outlier with regard to health care? What keeps the country from adopting a universal health care system, which most Americans have supported for many years now? And what exactly is Medicare for All? On the eve of scheduled marches and rallies in support of Medicare for All, led by various organizations such as the Sunrise Movement, Physicians for a National Health Program, the Democratic Socialists of America and concerned citizens throughout the country, the interview below with Peter S. Arno, a leading health expert, sheds light on some key questions about the state of health care in the United States.

Peter S. Arno is senior fellow and director of health policy research at the Political Economy Research Institute at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, and a senior fellow at the National Academy of Social Insurance. Among his many works is his Pulitzer Prize-nominated book, Against the Odds: The Story of AIDS Drug Development, Politics & Profits.


C.J. Polychroniou: U.S. health care is widely regarded as an outlier, with higher costs and worse outcomes than other countries. Why are health care expenditures in the U.S. significantly higher than those of other industrialized countries? And how do we explain poor health outcomes, including life expectancy, compared to most European nations?

https://truthout.org/articles/medicare-for-all-rallies-in-50-cities-show-big-support-for-universal-health-care/

[Beastly Boy]

1. How to turn a few signs in DC into Medicare for All rallies in 50 cities, in one headline or less:

1. Take batshit ridiculous liberties conflating single payer system with Medicare for All.

2. Take batshit ridiculous liberties with journalistic integrity.

Presto! Mission accomplished!

[BeckyDem]

2. Wendell Potter @wendellpotter NEW: Anthem made $34 billion in revenues during the Q2 of this year,

Link to tweet

[BeckyDem]

3. Wendell Potter @wendellpotter In a bombshell piece this week, @sarahkliff & @sangerkatz

Link to tweet

Click on it to read through the remainder of Potter's thread.