Thursday, November 7, 2019

'Not a Big Fan of Medicare for All': Pelosi Attacks Plan Backed by Leading 2020 Democrats, Majority of Party

I’m inspired to post this after an experience I had several days ago.
I had heard an interview on NPR about Medicare for All that was so disturbing that I had to turn my radio off. The whole conversation was so obviously completely backed by the insurance and pharmaceutical industries and other huge financial interests.
There was no push back from the interviewer, the person chosen to interview was from the insurance industry, and every punch possible was directed at instilling fear, lies, misinformation, and the propaganda that Medicare for All can’t happen.
We were told that people like their insurance and won’t want to give it up, that red and purple states would never go for it, that the polls repeatedly say that most people don’t want Medicare for All, that Bernie Sanders says taxes will go up (without saying how much money will be saved through lack of medical bills and insurance and copays, etc.), and that trying to push Medicare for All will bring us another four years of Trump. They ended with quoting Pelosi: “What are they thinking?!?” — code for how progressive democrats are ridiculous trying to push their ”socialist agenda.”
I was outraged!! This is beyond disturbing. This kind of propaganda, to me, is evil. Because our for profit system of greed kills people, causes them to go bankrupt and lose everything, and inflicts unfathomable suffering on millions. This propaganda which seeks to maintain the status quo which kills people — including children! — is evil.
Gratefully, when Bernie Sanders was interviewed on NPR last week, he wouldn’t stand for the propaganda. He stopped the woman interviewing him in her tracks and shined glaring light on the resource she was quoting from — which tried to say that Canadian healthcare is bad — and reflected back that her resource was over 20 years old and from an extreme right wing think tank. Then Bernie told her that she should ask Canadians what they think of their healthcare. And the interviewer quietly acknowledged that Canadians like their healthcare, and then changed the subject.
The corporate media which intentionally acts to misinform, propagandize and polarize, fuel the epidemic of disempowerment, and ask us repeatedly to act against our own best interests must be exposed again and again. Lives are at stake. This madness must stop! — Molly
(Please also refer to a related piece I wrote several months ago: https://mollystrongheart.blogspot.com/2019/07/my-letter-to-npr-and-pbs-why-i-cannot.html.)


The House Speaker's remarks came hours after Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a 2020 Democratic presidential contender, released her proposal to finance Medicare for All.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in an interview Friday that she is "not a big fan of Medicare for All" despite support for the ambitious proposal among the majority of her caucus, three-quarters of Democratic voters, and two leading 2020 Democratic presidential candidates.
"It is expensive," Pelosi told Bloomberg, without mentioning that studies show Medicare for All would save the U.S. trillions of dollars while providing comprehensive coverage to all.
"Who pays is very important," continued Pelosi. "What are the benefits that come in there? So I would think that hopefully as we emerge into the election year, the mantra would be more 'Healthcare for All Americans.'"
The Speaker added that "there is a comfort level that some people have with their current private insurance that they have, and if that is to be phased out, let's talk about it." 
Progressive activist Jonathan Cohn denounced Pelosi's comments as "sabotage" of two of the Democratic Party's presidential frontrunners, Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).

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