The American people need us to make these arguments forcefully and stop framing our messages based on what polls better in the current political climate. It is our job to change the political climate.
I understand that Medicare is a popular program, so "Medicare for All" is the current slogan to replace terms like "single payer," but it also muddies the water when you have to explain that we are calling for Improved Medicare for All. We are not calling for the current Medicare system. We don't want people to have to purchase a separate prescription drug plan. We don't want people to have to buy supplemental insurance to cover things not covered by Medicare.
We want everything covered for everyone, and the best way to do that is "single payer" healthcare. Our job should be to make people realize that's what they want too.
Republicans are good at staying on-message and turning good ideas into dirty words. We need to do the same. We need to make greedy, for-profit insurance companies the boogeyman and convince people that the government can do a better job providing healthcare.
We also have to stop basing our policies on what people think is immediately achievable. Of course, single payer lacks the votes necessary in the current Congress. That doesn't mean that single payer isn't the issue that Democrats can run on and ride back into power.
I have yet to hear a better solution. It is time to stop saying it is not achievable right now. We must work to make it possible.
Reader Supported News is the Publication of Origin for this work. Permission to republish is freely granted with credit and a link back to Reader Supported News.
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
