Reply #11: When it comes to healthcare, the GOP are complete assholes

[Armstead]

Their only "reform" is to eliminate all entitlements, all regulation and all accountability, and allow the "market" of Big Insurers and Corporate Healthcare Providers to continue to make huge profits at the expense of everyone else.

Frankly, that should be a very "soft target" for Democrats. the basic Framework ought to be real simple. Reorient healthcare so that it is not considered just another "market" to be plundered, but a basic public right and service as fundamental as water, electricity and public safety. Everyone should have access to healthcare that is affordable for their own budget.

Although the actual workings of the system are very complex and require complex detailed strategies for specific problems and cost reductions, that should be the bottom line. There are legitimate issues, including how we can make it more efficient, and minimize the negative impact on overall government finances. There obviously will continue to be a delicate balance between the need for people in healthcare to maker a living and incentives for innovation.

But the baseline ought to be shifted from healthcare as a commodity to a basic human right.

IMO it would be both socially worthwhile and politically advantageous if the Democrats stop playing footsy with intransigent CONservatives and healthcare oligarchs and instead make a clear stand for healthcare as a right as the starting point for all reform.