Healthcare
America is losing to the world on healthcare
Sorry Bernie, we are going to have to steal your line. Healthcare is a human right. Every other well developed nation, and even some that aren’t so well developed, have figured out how to use taxes for healthcare for their citizens. We have not, and it is a massive problem to fix. Our healthcare system is shameful, greedy, corrupt, and is killing us for the sake of profit.
The solution can take many forms, so we should learn from those that came before us and design a system that is the most effective, has the best outcomes, and covers everyone. At a minimum, the next logical step is a public option. However, we feel that the US needs to go further than that. We would support a single payer strategy, accompanied by new legislation ensuring government waste, fraud, and abuse is avoided. One of those bills must be to outlaw for profit businesses in the healthcare and pharmaceutical spaces.
Another initiative we want to spearhead is a bounty system for disease cures. We would take a specific illness like Hodgkins Lymphoma, and set a bounty for its cure, like $500,000,000 or some other amount that is thoroughly incentivizing. Then the US government owns the cure and can distribute it at cost to citizens. We would also like to join with our allies in perhaps contributing to the bounty and therefore they would gain access rights to the cures at cost as well. For any other nation, we would charge them 10% over cost until our bounty has been fully recovered, then a 0% markup thereafter in perpetuity.
People should not be going bankrupt, just by going to the doctor. Healthcare cannot be allowed to be only for the richest among us in this country. It also shouldn’t be something tied to employment and used as a cudgel for compliance. Furthermore, we need to recognize the biological reality that people find having a family is part of being human. Therefore, we should mandate paid maternity and paternity leave. It also seems reasonable to mandate paid sick and vacation time as well. Mental health and physical well being are important to living fulfilled lives and should be protected.
Frequently Asked Questions
What about eye care and dental?
It is absurd that somehow eyes and teeth have their own coverage. This should not be the case any longer. They should all be merged together and provided for by the state.
How are you going to pay for it?
Taxes. Make the wealthiest among us pay their fair share in taxes. Use the money wisely.
What do you mean we are losing to other countries?
The US has a healthcare system that is wildly expensive, while having poor outcomes unless you are extremely wealthy. America needs to do much better.
Isn’t this socialism?
We don’t subscribe to any “isms.” Our ideas come from what will benefit the American people and how we can best serve them. In the case of healthcare, the world has already proven that governments can and do have better outcomes than private systems that are for profit.