Bernie Sanders: Coronavirus Reminds Us Why We Must Guarantee Health Care To All

[Uncle Joe]

(snip)

"These are enormously important issues and we need serious debates over them."

"People might not have thought that the United States Congress, the Republican president, the Republican Senate would do what they did," Sanders said about the $1,200 coronavirus stimulus checks going out to most working Americans. "There's a reason for that. And that is that millions of people are now demanding that we have a government that works for all. What role should the campaign play in continuing that fight to make sure that health care becomes a human right, not a privilege, that we raise the minimum wage to a living wage, et cetera, et cetera."

"I think there is growing sentiment in this country that people now understand that it is incomprehensible that we remain the only major country on earth not to guarantee health care to all, that we have an economy which leaves half of our people...living paycheck to paycheck," Sanders said.

"What kind of system is it where people today are dying, knowing they're sick, but they're not going to the hospital because they can't afford the bill that they'll be picking up?"



https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2020/03/27/bernie_sanders_its_going_to_be_a_very_steep_road_to_beat_biden.html

[NCProgressive]

1. Empty rhetoric. Coronavirus testing & treatments are already declared free.

[JudyM]

14. .

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1287&pid=688627

[The Magistrate]

16. 'Not Proved', Ma'am, Is the Best That Offered

It is unclear whether he was sent on to an emergency room because he lacked insurance, or because his condition was too serious for the facility to handle.

[The Magistrate]

2. Weebles Wobble, Sir, But They Don't Fall Over

Ought to, mind, but....

Do, please, keep us informed whenever this windbag says what just about everyone who is not a Republican turd says on any subject.





"From Bernie’s perspective, dropping out of a race once you have no chance of winning is peculiar behavior that can only be explained by the work of a hidden hand. For most politicians, though, it is actually standard operating procedure. Only Sanders seems to think the normal thing to do once voters have made clear they don’t want to nominate you is to continue campaigning anyway."





"When things are not called by their right names, what is said cannot make sense. When what is said does not make sense, what is planned cannot succeed. When plans do not succeed, people become uneasy. When people are uneasy, punishments do not fit crimes. When punishments do not fit crimes, people cannot know where to put hand or foot."

[we can do it]

3. Same old song and dance.

Drop out now BS and unify against drump.

[DemKittyNC]

4. If he actually cared

he would drop out!

But of course he doesn't. At this point he is just working directly for tRump.

[Uncle Joe]

5. To date no actual answer to the final question I bolded in the OP

[George II]

7. It's a moot question - did he read the bill he voted for?

[The Magistrate]

9. Why Should Anyone Bother, Sir?

There is no point to any of this. The effort you make is utterly pointless. It occasions only laughter, no one here takes this seriously at all. You do not even score points for effort....





"From Bernie’s perspective, dropping out of a race once you have no chance of winning is peculiar behavior that can only be explained by the work of a hidden hand. For most politicians, though, it is actually standard operating procedure. Only Sanders seems to think the normal thing to do once voters have made clear they don’t want to nominate you is to continue campaigning anyway."





"When things are not called by their right names, what is said cannot make sense. When what is said does not make sense, what is planned cannot succeed. When plans do not succeed, people become uneasy. When people are uneasy, punishments do not fit crimes. When punishments do not fit crimes, people cannot know where to put hand or foot."

[showblue22]

10. It's a problem we need to fix.

Bernie is not capable of fixing it.

[George II]

6. There are few, if any, cases of people dying because they think they can't afford the bill....

Does he have any specific examples to cite or is this just something he made up?

BTW, according to the legislation that HE voted for (did he read the "damn bill"?) testing and treatment are free.

[Uncle Joe]

11. Seriously George! Here is one estimate 45,000 Americans dying every year for that reason,

(snip)

Various studies have looked at whether uninsured people have a higher risk of death. The most cited was published by the American Journal of Public Health in 2009 and found that nearly 45,000 Americans die each year as a direct result of being uninsured.

Dr Andrew Wilper and a team at Harvard Medical School used two main datasets: they took a nationwide US survey of more than 30,000 people conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and checked it against the National Death Index, another national database collected by the CDC.

(snip)

In America, deep inequality can affect the usefulness of data like this. Lots of things can increase an American’s chances of being sick – being a person of color or being poor to name just two – and if those factors overlap with a lack of health insurance, it can be difficult to determine what exactly is affecting an individual’s risk of death.

(snip)

The researchers found that a lack of health insurance had a mortality hazard ratio of 1.40. In other words, they concluded that Americans without health insurance were 40% more likely to die than those with it, even after taking into account the individual’s “gender, age, race/ethnicity, poverty income ratio, education, unemployment, smoking, regular alcohol use, self-rated health, physician-rated health and body mass index”.

(snip)


https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jun/24/us-healthcare-republican-bill-no-coverage-death

[George II]

13. Ah, pivoted on a dime with a 3-year old article! Read the TITLE of your OP, please.

[Uncle Joe]

17. Ah, pivoting on a dime to disregard human behavior and history when your argument gets shot down.

[George II]

19. No, you changed the subject when I pointed out that the premise was moot.

[TexasTowelie]

27. Citing a study from 2009 before the ACA was adopted

(so the raw data analyzed is probably from 2006 or 2007). I suspect that those numbers have changed since that time.

[The Magistrate]

15. Nothing To Do With The Present Situation, Sir

What is killing people today is lack of equipment and congestion at hospitals.





"From Bernie’s perspective, dropping out of a race once you have no chance of winning is peculiar behavior that can only be explained by the work of a hidden hand. For most politicians, though, it is actually standard operating procedure. Only Sanders seems to think the normal thing to do once voters have made clear they don’t want to nominate you is to continue campaigning anyway."





"When things are not called by their right names, what is said cannot make sense. When what is said does not make sense, what is planned cannot succeed. When plans do not succeed, people become uneasy. When people are uneasy, punishments do not fit crimes. When punishments do not fit crimes, people cannot know where to put hand or foot."

[bucolic_frolic]

8. Actually, 97% of Americans are surprised about the $1200 checks

The other 3% thought Andrew Yang had a good Utopian future in the works. So I'm not seeing people lobbying as a motivating factor. Saving capitalism's latest financial and economic meltdown, now that's something Republicans understand. To paint this as Republicans heeding citizen lobbying is total bs from BS in my view.

[sop]

12. Bernie's looking more and more like Statler and Waldorf, that pair of old Muppet characters,

sitting up in the balcony, heckling others and offering cantankerous opinions.

[NurseJackie]

22. Indeed. So true.

[ismnotwasm]

18. It also reminds us why we have to the infrastructure to support universal healthcare

The doctors, nurses, PCTs, respiratory techs, clinics hospitals housekeepers and so many more.

What we need is side by side legislation well though out to make sure when have enough people to care for people, else it’s a complete clusterfuck of epic proportions. M4A is a slogan.

[Uncle Joe]

20. I agree on all counts ismnotwasm,

we will need to make major investments in growing our medical infrastructure.

I believe it will call for nothing short of altering our national ethos...well as with all things at least for a time.

[The Magistrate]

21. 'Calls For Nothing Short Of Altering Our National Ethos', Sir

Is another way of saying 'ain't gonna see it in my lifetime, kiddo'.

Nations do not alter their national ethos, not short of something as catastrophic as the Russian or Chinese revolutions, or the complete wreckage made of Germany and Japan in the Second World War. And even in such instances, important continuities can be observed.

One of the things required of a politician seeking change is to locate a space within the nation's ethos for that change, and to relate it to what people are accustomed to seeing as their country's ways and manners. That takes profound understanding of people, and of the particular country, and its political and social cross-currents. These are things rigid ideologues are unsuited to doing, and generally prove incapable of doing.


"He was a better man than I. But I have killed many better men than I, with a small pistol."





"From Bernie’s perspective, dropping out of a race once you have no chance of winning is peculiar behavior that can only be explained by the work of a hidden hand. For most politicians, though, it is actually standard operating procedure. Only Sanders seems to think the normal thing to do once voters have made clear they don’t want to nominate you is to continue campaigning anyway."





"When things are not called by their right names, what is said cannot make sense. When what is said does not make sense, what is planned cannot succeed. When plans do not succeed, people become uneasy. When people are uneasy, punishments do not fit crimes. When punishments do not fit crimes, people cannot know where to put hand or foot."

[green88]

23. It's happened before.

FDR changed the national ethos, for the better. Reagan changed the national ethos, for the worse.

[The Magistrate]

25. No Sir, Each Worked Within The Existing National Character

Towards different directions, certainly, but none of them stretched any existing boundary. The United States trembled near the brink of real revolution in 1932. Poring through newspapers from that and the previous year is extremely instructive. Mr. Roosevelt prevented this, while some other figures, such as the Kingfish, Mr. Long, sought to ride it to confiscation of wealth and its redistribution. Reagan changed very little, really, he just empowered a political and social reaction long underway against what were considered by many 'excesses' of the sixties and the counter-culture. Nothing he did or said cannot be found in wide circulation for decades previous.





"From Bernie’s perspective, dropping out of a race once you have no chance of winning is peculiar behavior that can only be explained by the work of a hidden hand. For most politicians, though, it is actually standard operating procedure. Only Sanders seems to think the normal thing to do once voters have made clear they don’t want to nominate you is to continue campaigning anyway."





"When things are not called by their right names, what is said cannot make sense. When what is said does not make sense, what is planned cannot succeed. When plans do not succeed, people become uneasy. When people are uneasy, punishments do not fit crimes. When punishments do not fit crimes, people cannot know where to put hand or foot."

[Squinch]

24. Oh, for fuck's sake. Just stop.

[LizBeth]

26. I think it is petty of Sanders to use this crisis to stay in the race. Back Biden 100% now.

[John Fante]

28. Biden's healthcare plan is comprehensive enough that, if passed,

would rank as the single biggest piece of legislation on over 50 years. I'll roll with him.

[tirebiter]

29. Italy, china

Next issue?

[TreasonousBastard]

30. Why do we need to be reminded about health care for all? And what, after...

over 30 years in Congress, has Sanders ever actually done to improve health care except bore the fuck out of all of us talking about it? Where is his Senatorial coalition to get us better health care? And, just WTF was he doing to help when Obamacare was being put together?

Yes, there are people who have cut their overpriced meds down to dangerous levels, refused to see a doctor because of the bills, and otherwise hurt themselves because of problems paying the bill. And more are heading to bankruptcy court.

But, again, wtf has Sanders done to help? We have children's health programs, elderly health programs, native American health programs, poor people's health programs, workmen's compensation, veteran's care, negligence lawsuits... All of these were invented to solve specific medical situations and every one of them show the good and bad news of trying to get health care through Congress. If Congress was even involved at all.

Does Bernie even know what's out there already and have some idea how to get the existing programs to work better together?

And, finally, MFA is merely a way to pay for health care, but does absolutely nothing to improve or increase the availability of health care, without much more work. Just a guess, but reducing reimbursement rates to present Medicare or Medicaid levels could well reduce the level of care.

Anyone wanna know why a newly minted MD with a few hundred thousand in med school debt might be tempted to be a dermatologist rather than a GP? How will Berniecare deal with that?

[sheshe2]

31. I beg you to stop politicizing this as all about M4A.

People are dying because we have an ass in the WH who is an incompetent and denying states the means of fighting this virus.

We have nurses, doctors and staff on the front lines dying with no means of protecting themselves. I have a godchild that is there. She doesn't know if she is bringing it home to her husband and children when she leaves work. Think about that. Think about the grandmother and great grandmother a few months shy of 94, they can't visit for fear of passing it to her. She gets it, she dies. Think about me and people like me, the home caregiver that can't see them for rear of bring the virus home.

The number in Italy moments ago, 51 doctors have died doing their job. They had the best healthcare in the world and they died, DOING THEIR JOB.

I beg you and Bernie to stop politicizing this, after all it by his own words said it is not about "Me". It is about US. I take him at his word.

[Uncle Joe]

32. This is about life and death policy.

Even before the corona virus Americans were dying by the tens of thousands because of our lack of a health care system designed to actually deliver health care so much as make profit, however that was largely all but ignored because the wealthiest and most powerful in our society were never at risk until now because they had "health" insurance or money.

Italy did not have the best health care system in Europe much less the world.

I feel for every health care worker courageously and selflessly placing their own health/lives at risk by healing others during this crisis, it's no less than the military going into combat on a daily basis, but even greater because their own families are also at risk.

I heard the same arguments from Republicans after Katrina drowned New Orleans, now is not the time to talk about global warming climate change, we have a crisis.

I have always believed the American Nation could/should be able to walk and chew gum at the same time.

[sheshe2]

33. So in 30 plus years he has done nothing but talk.

I have always believed the American Nation could/should be able to walk and chew gum at the same time.

I have always believed the American Nation should be able to talk, then actually accomplish something at the same time.

[Uncle Joe]

34. I know you understand how our government works why if Bernie is on right side of the issue

and yet doesn't convince enough of his congressional colleagues to do the right thing is that his fault and not theirs?