Even under Obamacare, the affordability of health care has been declining. According to a Commonwealth Fund survey in May, only 62.4% of adults are confident they could afford the care they need for a serious illness. As Reuters reported this spring, despite Obamacare, "The U.S. spends about twice [per capita] what other high-income nations do on health care but has the lowest life expectancy and the highest infant mortality rates." They have national, universal health care, and we don't. Instead, Obamacare allows a parasitic for-profit health care industry to gouge us.
I have no patience with arguments that we "can't afford" a universal national plan such as single-payer or Medicare-for-all, and no respect for the people who make such arguments. The case for such a plan is a no-brainer, and at any given moment millions of our citizens are suffering pain and financial distress from the lack of one. There should be intense advocacy for such a plan from a party that claims it will stand up for working people against predatory capitalism.
Instead, House minority leader Nancy Pelosi, minority whip Steny Hoyer and National Committee leader Tom Perez want to concentrate on defending and tweaking Obamacare. They're afraid to act without permission from corporate donors in the for-profit health-care industry. In Yeats's ironic language, the Democrats' "best" lack conviction while the MAGA hordes are "full of passionate intensity." The Democrats' corrupt leadership needs to be replaced.
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