A Little Help For Mayor Pete

[DanieRains]

I just realized something about you (and others) asking Bernie "how you going to pay for" Medicare For All.

Reality. If every American is covered overall health will improve immensely.

Now for your help.

Even though fewer Americans will be sick with universal coverage, and treating them will cost a whole lot less with M4A, there is something you and your "friends" are overlooking.

Millions of people will be getting sick in the future. Now, with the current system they are not getting treatment. In the future they will simply go bankrupt and die unless something changes where ALL AMERICANS GET QUALITY HEALTHCARE. It is not "how much it costs" at all. We need to treat the sick Americans. Period.

How much it costs does matter but keeping them alive matters 100 times more.

Many will fight to keep their "current healthcare" which is far better than the average American's healthcare. Like my Cadillac with gold plated hubcaps Healthcare, which I appreciate. Spouse working for a University is good for my family. Too bad spouse can't quit so we have to join healthcare lottery nightmare.

Mayor Pete. How much it costs is not the problem. All them people dying while we play word games, and play on people's fears is the real problem. I saw a number of 68,000 needless deaths per year somewhere. Other countries deliver healthcare far better on average than we do for half as much. They pay less for EVERYTHING and get far better outcomes when their corporations are not in charge.

Did I help?

[Perseus]

1. Well done, beautifully explained

I really hope it gets to all of them, including Sanders who will enjoy it tremendously.

Well done!

[DanieRains]

2. We Can't Replace People's Good Insurance With Something Inadequate

Make sure every person knows they will be getting better care for a lot less.

Make it a theme.

There are lots of reasons people lose their good "company" policies then what?

We need to start acting like countries that have figured out that the health of their citizens matters more than corporate profits.

It isn't that hard.

[Frasier Balzov]

3. Lawrence O'Donnell was on the aftershow

saying that the super majority in the Senate necessary to pass such a complete overhaul into law is just not foreseeable under even the rosiest of predictions.

Pete's proposal for a public option seems much more realistic in terms of what can be accomplished.

[squirecam]

4. Your quote is important

Millions of people will be getting sick in the future. Now, with the current system they are not getting treatment. In the future they will simply go bankrupt and die unless something changes where ALL AMERICANS GET QUALITY HEALTHCARE. It is not "how much it costs" at all. We need to treat the sick Americans. Period.

How much it costs does matter but keeping them alive matters 100 times more.

I think this is the best argument for M4A. It’s not the one Sanders or Warren are making. That’s the problem. If you want to say M4A even if everyone’s taxes go up because it’s so important, then I think that position has merit.

But saying it can be done without such costs being shown is a problem. I wish the argument would be over what you say vs what Warren and Sanders say.

[DanieRains]

5. It's Not Like They Will Hire Me To Help Them With Their Message - Inslee's Campaign Ignored My Help

And he isn't around any more.

[thesquanderer]

6. Great point, and unfortunately harder sell, to say that the biggest benefit of MFA...

...is not what will happen to YOUR coverage, but the importance of having a society where the LESS FORTUNATE have coverage. Bernie does kind of make this point with his repeated mantra of health care being a human right, but I"m not sure the slogan's real meaning is actually sinking in.

Yes, MFA will be better for most people who have coverage today, even if only because they no longer have to worry about losing their coverage (or access to their current doctors) based on decisions made by their employers (who in many/most case may change your plan or even simply fire you at any time). People won't have to stay at a job for their health coverage, which dominoes to numerous other life decisions, like where they can live or where they can send their kids to school, or when they can retire.

But the biggest benefit comes when we step outside the (stereotypically more Republican) perspective of "what's in it for me, I've got mine" to "what's in it for society, and the people who are less fortunate than me." I guess it's a tougher sell, but I think that's what some of the non-MFA advocates are missing. Adding a public option to Obamacare is not sufficient.