They asked Elizabeth Warren how she was going to pay for her version of Medicare for All. And guess what? She did. It is clear why she took her time. It is comprehensive.
I am still reading it and going through some of the footnotes (provide links to corroborating information). So I will follow up with a more comprehensive blog post. It is clear that the Plutocracy and the corporate mainstream media are in silent panic. They will attempt to refute it but because of the narrative in her policy paper which reads easily unlike many white papers, it will be hard to do with truths. Of course, the well-constructed lies are about to begin.
Warren posits very important questions to all Democratic candidates opposing Medicare for All. Given that it is impossible for them to have an acceptable answer, it should make them unelectable in the Democratic Primary or the nation.
Not every candidate for president supports moving to a system of Medicare for All. Some who support Medicare for All will have different ideas about how to finance and structure it. And everybody knows that there must be a real transition. But you don’t get what you don’t fight for – and my view is clear.
Every candidate who opposes my long-term goal of Medicare for All should explain why the “choice” of private insurance plans is more important than being able to choose the doctor that’s best for you without worrying about whether they are in-network or not. Why it’s more important than being able to choose the right prescription drug for you without worrying about massive differences in copays. Why it’s more important than being able to choose to start a small business or choose the job you want without worrying about where your health care coverage will be coming from and how much it will cost.
Every candidate who opposes my long-term goal of Medicare for All should put forward their own plan to cover everyone, without costing the country anything more in health care spending, and while putting $11 trillion back in the pockets of the American people by eliminating premiums and virtually eliminating out-of-pocket costs. Or, if they are unwilling to do that, they should concede that they think it’s more important to protect the eye-popping profits of private insurers and drug companies and the immense fortunes of the top 1% and giant corporations, rather than provide transformative financial relief for hundreds of millions of American families.
And every candidate who opposes my long-term goal of Medicare for All should put forward their own plan to make sure every single person in America can get high-quality health care and won’t go broke – and fully explain how they intend to pay for it. Or, if they are unwilling to do that, concede that their half-measures will leave millions behind.
And make no mistake – any candidate who opposes my long-term goal of Medicare for All and refuses to answer these questions directly should concede that they have no real strategy for helping the American people address the crushing costs of health care in this country. We need plans, not slogans.
Yesterday Economist Dr. Dean Baker appeared on Politics Done Right to discuss Elizabeth Warren’s refusal to give the corporate mainstream media a soundbite saying she would raise taxes on the middle-class. She held strong and now her bill ensures that the middle-class for a change, get a break. He agreed that she is handling a derelict media very well as she makes the case she wants to make.
I will have a follow-up on Politics Done Right today. Stay tuned.