Democratic Primaries
In reply to the discussion: Is Elizabeth Warren is our strongest and best candidate? [View all]Sherman A1
(38,958 posts)It does not punish anyone as you seem to indicate, but offers a benefit to those who are shareholders in the country as are we both. Yes, a person receiving welfare would have to make a choice as to which is better for them. I assume that most would take the greater amount whichever that would be. To my understanding no benefits would be cut. As to the cost of prescriptions and health care those are addressed in the policy proposals listed below. Tell me what is your preferred (or the other) candidate(s) stating about the coming wave of automation and job displacement? How are they prepared to address this issue? What are their policy proposals?
MEDICARE FOR ALL
Access to quality healthcare is one of the most important factors in overall well being, and yet America is one of the few industrialized nations not to provide healthcare for all of its citizens. Instead, we have a private healthcare system that leaves millions uninsured and bankrupts even some of those who do have health insurance. At the same time, our cost of care is higher than in almost any other industrialized country while providing worse outcomes. The Affordable Care Act was a step in the right direction, providing funds to states to innovate while expanding Medicaid substantially. However, it didnt address the fundamental issues plaguing our healthcare system:
Access to medicine isnt guaranteed to all citizens
The incentives for healthcare providers dont align with providing quality, efficient care
This must change.
Through a Medicare for All system, we can ensure that all Americans receive the healthcare they deserve. Not only will this raise the quality of life for all Americans, but, by increasing access to preventive care, it will also bring overall healthcare costs down.
With a shift to a Medicare for All system, costs can also be controlled directly by setting prices provided for medical services. The best approach is highlighted by the top-ranked Cleveland Clinic. There, doctors are paid a flat salary instead of by a price-for-service model. This shift has led to a hospital where costs are visible and under control. Redundant tests are at a minimum, and physician turnover is much lower than at comparable hospitals.
Doctors also report being more involved with their patients. Since theyre salaried, theres no need to churn through patient after patient. Instead, they can spend the proper amount of time to ensure that each patient receives their undivided attention and empathy.
Outside of a shift to a Medicare for All system, we can look to the Southcentral Foundation for another important shift necessary in the way we treat patients: holistic approaches. At this treatment center for native Alaskans, mental and physical problems are both investigated, and, unsurprisingly, the two are often linked. By referring patients to psychologists during routine physicals, doctors are able to treat, for example, both the symptoms of obesity and the underlying mental health issue that often is related to the issue. The referral also leads people with issues they may otherwise try to bury sexual abuse, addictions, or domestic violence issues to bring them up with a doctor so that they can be addressed.
By providing holistic healthcare to all our citizens, well drastically increase the average quality of life, extend life expectancy, and treat issues that often go untreated. Well also be able to bring costs under control and outcomes up, as most other industrialized nations have.
Finally, being tied to an employer so that you dont lose your healthcare prevents economic mobility. Its important that people feel free to seek out new opportunities, and our current employer-provided healthcare system prevents that. https://www.yang2020.com/policies/medicare-for-all/
CONTROL THE COST OF PRESCRIPTION DRUGS
Prescription drugs in this country cost too much; individual drugs change prices at the whims of those running pharmaceutical companies. Patent trolls can drive the prices of certain medications up while providing no value themselves to the US healthcare system. And while drug companies complain constantly about the high cost of research, they seem to overlook that almost all FDA-approved drugs over the past several years relied on research funded by the NIH. They also overlook the record-high profits theyve been experiencing in recent years.
Its making it impossible for Americans who need drugs to afford their treatmentmany are choosing between their medicine and food or shelter.
Work with Congress to pass a law allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices. Its ridiculous that this doesnt happen alreadyit would save the public an enormous amount of money each year.
Use international reference pricing to set a baseline (in other words, see the average cost for a medication in other countries), and allow for forced licensing of medications if companies cant come to a reasonable agreement with the federal government on cost in line with international prices.
If a company is charging too much, someone willing to charge a reasonable amount will be granted a license to make the medication.
Create public manufacturing facilities to produce generic drugs to keep the costs of them at a minimum.
If all the above fail, allow for the importation of prescription medications from other countries.
We need to put pressure on these companies to get their prices under control, and more in line with the rest of the world. https://www.yang2020.com/policies/prescription-drug-costs/
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided