One of the arguments many on the Right make against Medicare for All is the loss of their freedom. Tony Benn appeared on Michael Moore’s Sicko and turned that notion on its head.
In the interview, Michael Moore asked Tony Benn when did the notion of healthcare as a right appear for the British. In a practical world, the answer would please Progressives and Conservatives alike.
“Well if you go back it all began with Democracy,” Benn said. “Before we had the vote all the power was in the hands of rich people. If you had money, you get healthcare, education, look after yourself when you were old. And what Democracy did was to give the poor the vote and it moved power from the marketplace to the polling station.”
Benn points out that there is always full employment during war, and high unemployment otherwise.
“If you can find the money to kill people,” Benn said. “We can find, the money to help people.”
The Medicare For All narrative we need
Tony Benn explained that they could describe the entire program on a card. In other words, simplicity was the key.
This is a lesson those who are advocating Medicare for All in the United States must learn.