That’s the title of an op-ed by Washington state Representative Pramila Jayapal (D-Wa.).
Representative Jayapal’s explanation was factual, well sourced, no-nonsense, and cleared away decades old ginned up republican fear-mongering by refocusing right at the heart of what matters.
I’d posted a comment in Open Thread for Night Owls last night on it, so this diary is more of a sharing comment on the work done on Medicare for All in both the House (pdf) and Senate (pdf) as Representative Pramila Jayapal sees it needs telling:
Representative Pramila Jayapal spoke with Chris Hayes, who was playing a bit of the devil’s advocate, today to a good purpose A purpose that strengthened the points that she made in her WaPo article:
this:
— By Pramila Jayapal |August 1 at 4:55 PM
Pramila Jayapal, a Democrat, represents Washington’s 7th Congressional District in the U.S. House.
In the wake of the second Democratic presidential debate, it is clear that Medicare-for-all has become a defining issue of the 2020 election. Earlier this year, when I introduced our comprehensive, 120-page “Medicare for All Act of 2019,” I expected attacks from big pharma and for-profit insurance companies. But I did not expect misrepresentations from Democratic presidential candidates about what the bill is and is not.
Representative Jayapal lays out six strong points, starting here:
First, it is a myth that Americans love private insurance. The vast majority of Americans are deeply frustrated with the health-care system — even if they have private insurance. Opponents and pundits often quote polling that suggests support for Medicare-for-all drops when you tell people that their private insurance plan would go away. But when polls accurately describe Medicare-for-all, and explain that you can keep your doctor or hospital, the majority support increases
It’s well worth reading as Pramilla Jayapal debunks the anti-Medicare-for-All arguments one by one
ending with this:
Finally, Democratic candidates should stop using one-liners fromindustry front groups and Republican playbooks — such as “Medicare-for-all would shutter hospitals," or telling seniors that “Medicare goes away as you know it. All the Medicare you have is gone.” These claims — amplified by contributions from the private health-care industry — are designed to incite fear and sow confusion. I’ve spoken with several hospital CEOs who see Medicare-for-all as a lifeline for their hospitals — particularly safety-net and rural hospitals that are barely surviving under the current system. And my Medicare-for-all bill improves Medicare for seniors by adding additional benefits such as dental, vision, hearing and long-term care.
As the debates continue, I hope that my fellow Democrats will take a good look at our bill and get the facts right. The Medicare-for-all movement has overwhelming public support, unprecedented grass-roots organization, and a serious plan that is ready to change our health-care system right now.
Health care is the top issue for voters, and they deserve to know the truth about the solutions we are proposing. I’m willing to debate Medicare-for-all with anyone — but we owe it to all Americans to stick to the facts.
The Chris Hayes interview is not available on-line, but it was, in a way, even more informative, as Hayes deliberately brought up some of the more convoluted situational (even contrived) anti-M4A arguments that Pramila Jayapal answered very convincingly with facts
If the conversation with Representative Pramila Jayapal becomes available I’ll post it. It’s really good factual debunking
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note: This video report is not published by MSNBC so it may get scrubbed, but in the mean time, after one of the clearest explanations on the so-called impeachment controversy which closely aligns with Representative Jamie Raskin’s debunking of and accurate portrayal (video report) of the same issue, rep. Pramila Jaypal gets to the M4A discussion
The conversation (a partial transcript beginning @ minute 22:22):
Chris Hayes:
..another thing that I think just tipped over to Majority Caucus support in the house is the Medicare for all legislation which are author of co-sponsor of sponsor of.
You have an op-ed today responding to what you felt like were misleading things that were said in the debates about Medicare for all.
What does it mean, I guess, that half the caucus is now on that bill?
Representative Pramila Jayapal:
Well I think it's just once again shows that this bill, this idea Medicare for all this plan, 120 page plan in our house bill, Bernie Sanders bill in the Senate this has tremendous support.
Remember Chris that we have now had for the first time in the history of the House of Representatives three hearings in the House of Representatives. We have an unprecedented labor coalition. The polling is actually,.. you know one of the things I take on in the article is a lot of the myths and misrepresentations that are out there.
People say oh the polling goes down people want to keep their private insurance people love their private insurance. No that's just not true.
Hayes:
..okay but that's the mean.. first of all you can't guarantee you're gonna keep your doctor in hospital right.. because doctors change and they might go I mean like it's a promise no one can keep.
Rep. Jayapal:
..no no no but that's the whole point. With the current private insurance plan, every time you move, a plan which means you lose a job yes you gain a job.. whatever happens, you have a different insurance plan you have to see whether that plan has your doctor or hospital.
Hayes:
..right correct
Rep. Jayapal:
..with Medicare for all that would not be the case, because there is no in-network or out-of-network doctor
Hayes:
..yes right
Rep. Jayapal:
..and so what you have is a consistency where you do keep your,.. now I suppose if your doctor retired, ..
Hayes:
..right, there's like your hospital might shut down. No one can tell you with a straight face that they can predict the future about what your health care is gonna be like, that's my only point
Rep. Jayapal:
..well I, but that's, I don't know that that's true. What we're saying is the prediction is you will have stable health insurance, guaranteed health insurance and the doctors and hospitals that you like are no longer decided by a private insurance company.
Right you have more choice, you don't have a surprise billing where you suddenly go to the hospital for an emergency cancer treatment or surgery or whatever it is and then, and I literally just heard this from a constituent yesterday stories all the time, a forty thousand dollar bill,. what are you supposed to do.
In my op-ed in the Washington Post Chris, I mentioned that half a million people filed for bankruptcy in one year because of medical costs. I mean the most popular health insurance plan is GoFundMe so I think that when we talk about this vision we have to understand that this is a health care crisis and we have to talk about the current situation before we talk about, and what people are paying right now ; average of $20,000 if you have employer health care..
Hayes:
..let me just say this as a final note, I've covered two huge healthcare fights,..two huge ones; the ACA and attempting to repeal the ACA and all I will say is that it's much harder to change things than to keep changed things. That is the one thing I have noticed in the pot. This is just indubitably the politics of the thing it's a harder thing to change the status quo and to keep the status quo and the people that learn that the most are the Republican Party that thought they had this in-the-bag with unified control of government and took two different runs at repealing the ACA which used to be unpopular and found out that actually the status quo won out.
Rep. Jayapal:
Here's the big difference Chris, I mean they didn't have a plan that they were proposing when they were but repealing.. They had nothing to re[place]..
Hayes:
..they did, it was just bad..
Rep. Jayapal:
..Well it wasn’t really a plan. it was just have been stripping [health] care away.
You’ve got a look at how good, you know, how we have to have a vision so that we can provide universal health care for everyone..
Hayes:
..all right congressman Pramila Jayapal, thank you very much
(end of transcript for that segment of the discussion)
— Link: All In with Chris Hayes 8/1/19
also, linked here is an in-depth discussion with Ezra Klein and Ryan Cooper that identifies one of the main hurdles. Ezra Klein himself concludes: fear caused by those that oppose cutting out the wasteful private-for-profit-insurance-industry from Healthcare.
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- and to debunk part of the anti-M4A lies being spread by the GOP (pdf):
115TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. 1804
To establish a Medicare-for-all national health insurance program.
— this section; I’ve bolded the part that is rarely mentioned:
SEC. 107. PROHIBITION AGAINST DUPLICATING COVERAGE. 23
(a) IN GENERAL.—Beginning on the effective date 24 described in section 106(a), it shall be unlawful for—
(1) a private health insurer to sell health insurance coverage that duplicates the benefits provided under this Act; or
(2) an employer to provide benefits for an employee, former employee, or the dependents of an employee or former employee that duplicate the benefits provided under this Act.
(b) CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this Act shall be construed as prohibiting the sale of health insurance coverage for any additional benefits not covered by this Act, including additional benefits that an employer may provide to employees or their dependents, or to former employees or their dependents.
— Kudos Representative Pramila Jayapal
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(check out Rep. Jayapal’s op-ed @ WaPo, it lays things out real clearly — imo)