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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThe Trump administration's response to Covid is the strongest case I know against MFA
This is enraging and frustrating but this is really clarifying the hesitation I've had to jump on board with that idea.
Trump is seizing shipments of PPE bound for states and counties. It's not clear why, though some of it will probably be redirected from blue states to red states, and it probably helps that Republican cronies have started some companies that make and distribute PPE. Meanwhile, McConnell is doing everything he can to obstruct Covid relief legislation, and Azar is stealing from the medical relief bill and simultaneously capping the amount of reimbursement for hospitals who treat uninsured Covid patients at $100 billion nationally (that's a fraction of what this is going to cost). Oh, and HHS is blocking state attempts to use Medicaid money to respond to the outbreak.
If we had gone into this crisis already having Medicare For All, things would have been much, much worse. Trump, Azar, McConnell, and the rest would have had even more control over the US healthcare system, and they would have used it to do even more harm.
As long as the Republican party exists we cannot take the risk of having them in charge of national health care. The piecemeal power they already have is bad enough already.
KT2000
(20,618 posts)It is what was stated at one of the pressers. They will go to a broker who will jack up the prices. Anything that happens in the government is an opportunity for the trump/kushners to take advantage.
Phoenix61
(17,038 posts)linked and sharing of equipment would be
much easier. People would seek care quicker instead of putting it off because they dont have insurance. If we had had it for several years, people would be healthier overall, (which has happened to some extent with the ACA due to people managing chronic conditions better) and have better outcomes. States wouldnt be trapped in bidding wars trying to obtain needed medical supplies.
Recursion
(56,582 posts)First off, that's not what MFA does even when it works; that would be an NHS.
Secondly, my point is that Trump and McConnell and the rest are actively using the power they currently have to harm people; they would have more power to use if we had MFA.
States wouldnt be trapped in bidding wars trying to obtain needed medical supplies.
Worse than that: states would be completely dependent on Trump for everything.
Phoenix61
(17,038 posts)sure as hell isnt working. All those folks in the hospital who dont have insurance are going to have massive bills when they get out. What about the ones who dont have access to a public hospital and die because they cant access care? If the system is set up correctly (I know) he wouldnt have access to it at all.
uponit7771
(90,379 posts)Voltaire2
(13,372 posts)health insurance and the NYT is reporting that private insurance premiums could go up by 40%.
Yeah this crisis sure is a compelling argument for why our current system is totally fabulous.
Recursion
(56,582 posts)I'm not sure what point you think that's addressing, because that's clearly not what I said. I said giving Mitch McConnell and Donald Trump even more power to harm people is a bad idea.
theaocp
(4,259 posts)they have the ability to do harm. We dont stop life because there is evil in the world. Single payer would hardly be worse than the private hellscape we have now.
Recursion
(56,582 posts)Trump would simply stop all medical care in New York and California.
Could not disagree more.
Recursion
(56,582 posts)If he controlled where medical money was spent he would simply cut off everywhere blue. If you don't see that I don't know how to make it more clear to you.
theaocp
(4,259 posts)Why not just stop medicare to blue states?
Voltaire2
(13,372 posts) First off, that's not what MFA does even when it works; that would be an NHS.
ck4829
(35,100 posts)The solution is right there and people don't want to say it or even see it.
Disincorporation needs to be on the table.
Laelth
(32,017 posts)You make a good argument, and I recognize that you are not defending the current system.
Personally, I would still prefer MFA over the current system. OK, so a few oligarchs would game it and profit off of it. A dictator might try to control it completely, admittedly, but I doubt that he or she would have much success in attempting to do so. Career bureaucrats would keep the system running fairly, for the most part, and the power of the executive would be extremely limited. The optics of manifest injustice in health care delivery would be too bad if the executive abused this power.
Now, on the other hand, you mentioned a superior system (a NHS) above. I could seriously go for that.
-Laelth
Recursion
(56,582 posts)In that situation he could literally hire and fire doctors, and he would.
Laelth
(32,017 posts)The Tories have never been able to get rid of it, despite their best efforts. It would be the same here. The optics of gaming our NHS would be so bad that I doubt even Trump would try it.
-Laelth
Recursion
(56,582 posts)SlogginThroughIt
(1,977 posts)I get what you are saying but it is wring. Outside of covid there are a million other reasons that we should have MFA. There are people with absolutely NO healthcare options right now other that go broke and die.
If a president is going ti do evil they are going ti do evil. There is no stopping them. As you can see he is playing games right now to make blue states suffer. So what is the answer? Deny people better healthcare options? Until when? Cancel it when a republican wins election in the future?
And all of this is moot anyway as we currently do not have it and will not have it while he is in office - or even in the immediate timeframe after he is out.
So I guess I just dont understand the point of this exercise.
Recursion
(56,582 posts)In MFA, he would be
demmiblue
(36,948 posts)Tom Rinaldo
(22,919 posts)Just wait till we see the private insurance premium increases next year. How many won't even be able to afford replacing their employer based insurance plans that they are now in the process of losing? Whatever companies that are still around next year are going to be laying off workers to offset the increase in their health insurance costs.
Recursion
(56,582 posts)Azar is already reaching his grubby hands into the pot
chowder66
(9,127 posts)I know that everything about him is horrific but it doesn't stop his idiots from being idiots.
Until enough of them die or get bored... this guy and the republicans who enable him literally get to kill thousands of Americans.
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