From $649 to $30, Cutting the Cost of Asthma Inhalers

 

Bernie Sanders

602K subscribers

Last year asthma inhalers in this country cost as much as $649. So, @POTUS and I worked together to lower the cost of this critical medication. Today, the vast majority of Americans with asthma pay no more than $35 for their inhalers.

RSN: FOCUS: Bernie Sanders | Why We Need to Expand the Democratic Majority in Congress

 

27 October 22

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FOCUS: Bernie Sanders | Why We Need to Expand the Democratic Majority in Congress
Bernie Sanders, The Hill
Sanders writes: "As we enter the final weeks of the 2022 midterm elections, poll after poll shows that the most important issues facing the American people are the economy and inflation. This should come as no surprise."

As we enter the final weeks of the 2022 midterm elections, poll after poll shows that the most important issues facing the American people are the economy and inflation. This should come as no surprise.

As corporate profits soar, and as billionaires become even richer, working class Americans are falling further behind. This, sadly, is not a new reality. Tragically, despite huge increases in worker productivity, real inflation adjusted wages for American workers are lower today than they were nearly 50 years ago. During that period there has been a multi-trillion dollar redistribution of wealth that has gone from the middle class to the top 1 percent, and we now have more income and wealth inequality than at any time in American history. Unbelievably, CEOs of major corporations now make almost 400 times what their average workers make.

Given the economic pain facing working families, many voters are asking themselves which party will better fight for legislation that will improve life for ordinary Americans. As the longest serving Independent in the history of Congress, someone who caucuses with Senate Democrats, let me give you my best answer.

First, let me admit that the Democratic Party is far from perfect. Too many Democratic members of Congress have been unwilling to stand up to the big money interests that dominate Washington and fight for working families. That’s why we need at least 52 Democrats in the Senate.

But here is the simple reality: the Republicans in Congress are far worse when it comes to addressing the needs of the working class.

Let me give you some examples.

Social Security

Right now, despite the reality that 55 percent of seniors are trying to survive on less than $25,000 a year, leading Republicans in the House and Senate are proposing to cut Social Security benefits, raise the retirement age to 70 or reduce cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) for seniors by adopting a less generous formula. Most Democrats believe that we must expand Social Security benefits so that everyone in America can retire with dignity. Not a single Republican in Washington agrees.

Prescription Drugs

The United States pays, by far, the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs. I believe, and many Democrats believe, that we need to cut the price of prescription drugs in half by requiring Medicare to pay no more than the Veterans Administration does. Not a single Republican in Washington is prepared to stand up to the pharmaceutical industry and substantially lower the cost of prescription drugs. Almost every Republican in Washington voted against capping the price of insulin at no more than $35 a month.

Expanding Medicare

Today, millions of seniors are unable to afford the outrageous cost of dental care, hearing aids or prescription eyeglasses. Most Democrats believe we need to expand Medicare to cover these essential health care services. Not a single Republican member of Congress agrees. Further there are many Republicans in the House and the Senate who support massive cuts to Medicare.

Universal Health Care

At a time when 85 million Americans are uninsured or under-insured, most Democrats believe that the U.S. should do what every other major country does and guarantee health care for all. Not a single Republican in Washington agrees. The last time Republicans controlled the Senate they came within one vote of throwing up to 32 million Americans off of their health insurance by repealing the Affordable Care Act.

Minimum Wage

Sixty percent of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck and millions are working for starvation wages. Most Democrats believe that we must increase the federal minimum wage to at least $15 an hour. Not a single Republican in Washington agrees. In fact, many Republicans don’t even believe in the concept of the minimum wage.

Child Poverty

We have the highest rate of childhood poverty of virtually every major country on earth. Most Democrats believe that we should cut the child poverty rate in America by more than 40 percent by extending the $300 a month per child tax credit to working class families that expired last December. Not a single Republican in Washington agrees.

Unions

Today, over 70 percent of the American people support unions. Most Democrats believe that if we are going to expand the middle class we must make it easier for workers to join unions and end the heavy-handed corporate tactics that make it hard for workers to unionize. Not a single Republican in Washington supports legislation to make it easier for workers to join unions.

Corporate Greed

At a time when inflation is a worldwide phenomenon (European Union- 10.1 percent, Germany-10 percent, UK-9.7 percent, Canada-7%, etc.), corporations are using the war in Ukraine, the supply chain crisis and the ongoing pandemic to jack up the price of gas, food, and just about everything the American people need. Many Democrats believe that we should enact a windfall profits tax on large, greedy corporations. Not a single Republican in Washington agrees.

A Fair Tax Policy

Unchecked authoritarianism? You can find it on the right and the left The incendiary power of words

During the pandemic, while the billionaire class saw a $2 trillion increase in their wealth some of the largest corporations and wealthiest people in America did not pay a nickel in federal income taxes. Democrats voted to end that absurdity and begin the process of moving to a fairer tax system. Not one Republican voted to support that effort. In fact, at a time of massive wealth and income inequality, Republicans have proposed trillions of dollars in tax breaks for the most profitable corporations and wealthiest people in America.

In conclusion, let me say that it is no secret that many Americans are discouraged by what’s going on in Washington and are unhappy with both major parties. I got that. The answer, however, is not to make a bad situation worse by supporting candidates who will cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid and give huge tax breaks to the rich. If we have any chance to create an economy that works for all of us, not just the 1 percent, we must expand the Democratic majority in Congress and continue to push them to represent the needs of the working class, not the billionaire class.

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Parents need Congress to step up

If you ask me who I am, I would first and foremost say I’m a single mom. Second, I’m a Member of Congress.

I see firsthand how much pressure families are under right now. Parents need their government to step up and support them and their families, that’s why I’m continuing to fight for:

• Affordable, reliable, quality childcare.
• Paid leave so that people can take time off to care for a new child or sick loved one.
• A tax system that makes sure the ultra-wealthy pay their fair share, and doesn’t punish single parents and families.
• Affordable healthcare and prescription drugs.

The pandemic only exacerbated many of the issues facing families and now we have a real chance to create a better future for them. Sign my petition to show your support for passing legislation that will support families.

Special interests and giant corporations have drowned out the voice of families for far too long. Thanks to your support, I’ll be able to continue standing up to their greed and fighting for California families.

—Katie

Congresswoman Katie Porter is fighting for affordable child care, lower cost prescription drugs, climate action, and a strong, stable, globally competitive economy that works for everyone. She’s standing up to corporate special interests and doesn’t take any money from corporate PACs or lobbyists, so we rely on grassroots supporters like you pitching in when they can. Make a contribution today.

 

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PRESS: Senate's PACT Act Will Do Little To Control Drug Costs

PRESS RELEASE Senate’s PACT Act will give relief to patients using insulin, but will not lower prescription drug prices Boston - Mass-Care, the state’s largest single-payer health care organization, commends the Senate for passing An Act relative to Pharmaceutical Access, Costs and Transparency (PACT Act). However, Mass-Care Executive Director Stephanie Nakajima cautions that since the bill introduces no bulk prescription drug program or new regulations on pharmaceutical companies, it is therefore unlikely to have any significant impact on the high and rapidly increasing costs of prescription drugs.   The Massachusetts Medicare for All Act, H. 1267/S.766, would authorize the state to use its purchasing power to negotiate price discounts for prescription drugs and medical devices; bulk purchasing is an example of how this could be done.   Strong points of the PACT Act include requiring insurers to eliminate deductibles and coinsurance for insulin and capping co-pays for the drug at $25 per month. Proposed regulation of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), the middlemen of the drug industry who drive up prices for patients, pharmacies, and taxpayers, is also welcome.   However, nothing is done about the unit cost of insulin (or the cost of any other drug) paid by the insurance company, which means that reducing cost-sharing will not control costs but will lead insurers to redistribute those costs to all (including those reliant on insulin) through increased insurance premiums. Massachusetts already has the second highest health care costs per capita in the country, and while all areas of the health care sector continue to rise, pharmaceutical costs are rising much faster than both premiums and total health care spending. Direct regulation of these prices is needed to address the root causes of our state’s sky-high healthcare bill, of which low-income patients bear a disproportionate burden.   The PACT Act attempts to discourage further drug price hikes not through price regulation, but by a softer deterrent: if the cost of a drug rises above a certain level, the bill mandates that the legislature hold a hearing about the cost. To avoid a hearing, pharmaceutical companies will supposedly reduce the cost. It’s not clear that such a threat will be enough to convince drug makers to reduce their price; no precedent exists for that mechanism, especially at the state level.   The bill authorizes the Center for Health Information and Analysis (CHIA) to collect drug cost information from pharmaceutical manufacturers and PBMs and publish its findings. “While academics will use this data, and more transparency around health care pricing is always welcome, further study on the problem of high drug prices is unnecessary; drug manufacturers will charge whatever the market will bear, and every other developed country has already figured out how to keep drugs affordable for their residents through price setting and bulk purchasing”, says Gerald Friedman, Professor of Economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.   This is why Americans pay more than any other country, including Switzerland, for drugs. Fortunately, we don’t even need to look abroad for a working model of bulk purchasing; it’s done right here in the United States, at the Veterans Administration. The VA competitively negotiates prices directly with drug companies, purchasing drugs for about 6 million veterans at half the cost of prices in privatized Medicare Part D. In addition to forcing insurers to cover more costs for users of insulin, we could actually get more services for our collective dollar by bulk purchasing the drug - and all other pharmaceuticals - at a lower rate. With drug industry profits at a record high, this shouldn’t be controversial.   Introducing bulk purchasing of pharmaceuticals would be a step towards a Medicare for All system in the Commonwealth. It’s also the step that the Massachusetts legislature needs to take to bring real prescription drug cost relief to our residents.   The mission of Mass-Care: the Massachusetts Campaign for Single Payer Health Care is to establish a single payer health care system in Massachusetts so that all residents of the Commonwealth will have access to comprehensive, quality, affordable and equitable health care because it is basic to life and human dignity.   # # # READ THE RELEASE   Stephanie Nakajima Executive Director The Massachusetts Campaign for Single Payer Healthcare Twitter Donate Mass-Care is a grassroots organization that fights to end the health insurance crisis by educating and advocating for improved Medicare-for-All legislation in Massachusetts.   1534 Tremont St. Boston, MA 02120 United States

 

POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: SNOW poses VACCINE challenge — ‘SUPERSTAR cities’ in trouble — New POLICE COMMISSIONER WHITE sworn in

 

BY STEPHANIE MURRAY

GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Do we have six more weeks of winter ahead of us?

SNOW POSES VACCINATION CHALLENGE — Massachusetts began its second phase of distributing the Covid-19 vaccine yesterday, after facing criticism from lawmakers and others that the pace of the rollout here has been too slow. Adults over the age of 75 are now eligible to get the shot.

A nor'easter that hit the state Monday into Tuesday may have delayed the vaccination effort for some, though hundreds of seniors were still able to get their shots. Gov. Charlie Baker said during a press briefing on Monday that vaccine providers feel confident they can reschedule canceled appointments within the week. Mass vaccination sites at Fenway Park and Gillette Stadium opened and closed early on Monday, and both facilities plan to operate as usual today.

"The one thing that may be a little bit of a curveball," Baker said, is health care providers that had been vaccinating employees, and planned to begin vaccinating patients at the beginning of the week. That process could be delayed until Wednesday due to the storm.

The new phase of vaccinations comes at a pivotal time. Massachusetts passed 500,000 cases of the virus yesterday, a year after the first case was detected here on Feb. 1, 2020. The daily caseload continues to go down after the holiday surge, though the state has found a few cases of a new, more contagious variant of the virus linked to the United Kingdom.

Massachusetts remains behind more than half the country when it comes to the percentage of the population that's received a dose of the vaccine, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . Sorted by the percentage of vaccine supply used, Massachusetts ranks ahead of just a handful of states. Officials have raised concerns that the CDC data are not entirely up-to-date, though it does paint a rough picture of where Massachusetts stands compared to the rest of the country.

Baker defended the pace of the rollout on Monday, saying the early phases of vaccination were more targeted here than in other states, and therefore happened at a slower pace. The state is working to stand up a call center this week to help schedule vaccination appointments, which Baker said he'll offer details about on Wednesday or Thursday.

"Keep in mind that we are the only state in the country that put particular emphasis on congregate care out of the gate," Baker said. "We're one of a very small number of states that actually said we wanted to vaccinate all of our frontline health care workers first."

Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Get in touch: smurray@politico.com.

 

TUNE IN TO NEW EPISODE OF GLOBAL TRANSLATIONS: Our Global Translations podcast, presented by Citi, examines the long-term costs of the short-term thinking that drives many political and business decisions. The world has long been beset by big problems that defy political boundaries, and these issues have exploded over the past year amid a global pandemic. This podcast helps to identify and understand the impediments to smart policymaking. Subscribe for Season Two, available now.

  

THE LATEST NUMBERS

– “Massachusetts surpasses 500K total COVID cases since start of pandemic; officials reports 2,270 new cases, 30 deaths on Monday,” by Tanner Stening, MassLive.com: “State health officials confirmed another 2,270 COVID-19 cases on Monday, bringing the total number of cases statewide to 500,415 since the start of the pandemic. There are currently 71,929 active infections across Massachusetts, a number which continues to decline as viral activity diminishes.”

DATELINE BEACON HILL

– “Baker says proposed drug overcharging penalties would total $70m,” by Shira Schoenberg, CommonWealth Magazine: “It’s Baker versus drug companies, take two. Gov. Charlie Baker, in his fiscal 2022 budget proposal, is reviving a controversial plan to penalize drug companies for charging too much for their drugs. The budget estimates that $70 million in overcharging penalties would be collected in the fiscal year beginning July 1, with $47.5 million earmarked for a trust fund that supports community health centers and community hospitals and the rest going to the general fund.”

VAX-ACHUSETTS

– “Marty Walsh, Charlie Baker say improvements coming to Massachusetts vaccine rollout,” by Alexi Cohan and Rick Sobey, Boston Herald: “Improvements are on the way for the slow coronavirus vaccine rollout in Massachusetts, according to Gov. Charlie Baker and Mayor Martin Walsh, who admitted vaccination efforts have been challenging.”

– “Colleges Distribute Vaccines, Though Most Students, Faculty Aren’t Eligible For Shots Yet,” by Kirk Carapezza, GBH News: “A handful of Massachusetts college campuses are serving as vaccine distribution centers, sparking a public health debate, as most college students and faculty won’t be eligible for their shots until April at the earliest. Boston University, Northeastern, Tufts, UMass, Salem State and Harvard are already operating as vaccine distribution centers, and the state has approved about a dozen more colleges to administer vaccines.”

– “Biddinger analyzes vaccine rollout challenges,” by Sarah Betancourt, CommonWealth Magazine: “Dr. Paul Biddinger, who specializes in emergency preparedness at Massachusetts General Hospital and heads the governor’s COVID-19 vaccination advisory board, says a third of those eligible to be inoculated in Phase 1 haven’t received their shots yet even as Phase 2 begins today. In an interview on The Codcast, Biddinger acknowledged the ups and downs of the vaccine rollout.”

– “With one mass COVID vaccine site west of Worcester, state legislators call for more options in Western Massachusetts,” by Steph Solis, MassLive.com: “Lawmakers urged the Baker administration to add vaccination sites across the region in a letter dated Monday, which was addressed to Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders and Gov. Charlie Baker. Lawmakers recommended partnering with UMass Amherst, the community health centers and local governments to launch a site in Hampshire or Franklin county.”

– “Seniors offered free rides to vaccination sites,” by John Laidler, Boston Globe: “Mystic Valley Elder Services is now providing free transportation to local COVID-19 vaccination sites for older residents that need it. The Malden-based agency recently began offering the service to residents 60 years and older in its 11-community region who have no other means to get to the locations.”

FROM THE HUB

– “Covid Wears on, Essential Workers Carry on: ‘Everybody Forgets That You’re Still on the Front Line,’” by Jennifer Levitz, Valerie Bauerlein and Alejandro Lazo, The Wall Street Journal: “When the state shut down around her in March, 67-year-old Joyce Babineau, a supermarket employee in Dartmouth, Mass., was among the many workers who stayed on the job providing basic needs during the pandemic. She felt pride walking into Stop & Shop at 6 a.m. five days a week. She also felt constant dread knowing she was risking the health of her husband, who had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.”

– “Commissioner Dennis White, a Dorchester native, takes the watch at BPD,” by Mia McCarthy, Dorchester Reporter: “Mayor Martin Walsh swore in Dorchester native Dennis White as the city's 43rd police commissioner during a ceremony at Faneuil Hall on Monday morning. After being sworn in, White said he is accepting this honor on behalf of the Dorchester community of his childhood.”

– “New Boston Police Commissioner Dennis White: Completing Reforms A Top Priority,” by Adam Reilly, GBH News: “Boston’s new police commissioner, Dennis White, says he’ll make reforming the Boston Police Department a top priority as he steps into his new role.”

– “Secret Addiction Treatment Shoppers Log Hard Sell Tactics At Some Residential Programs,” by Martha Bebinger, WBUR: “Luxury rooms, help with travel, pressure to enroll and requests for family contact info. These were some of the recruitment tactics encountered by callers posing as uninsured heroin users when they reached 368 residential addiction treatment programs across the U.S. seeking help.”

– “City announces events celebrating Black History Month,” by Charlie McKenna, Boston Globe: “The city of Boston plans to hold a series of virtual events to commemorate Black History Month, ranging from a virtual panel on ‘America and the Reckoning’ to a showcase for local Black artists.”

– “Superstar Cities Are in Trouble,” by Derek Thompson, The Atlantic: “According to U-Haul’s annual review, California lost more people to out-migration than any other state in 2020, and the five largest states in the Northeast—New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Maryland—joined California in the top 10 losers. Rents have fallen fastest in ‘pricey coastal cities,’ including San Francisco, Seattle, Los Angeles, Boston, and New York City, according to Apartment List.”

THE RACE FOR CITY HALL

– “Boston councilors likely to pass plan to nix special election,” by Danny McDonald, Boston Globe: “The Boston City Council appears poised to pass a home-rule petition on Wednesday that could avoid a special mayoral election this year should Mayor Martin J. Walsh leave his post before March 5 to take a new job in the Biden administration.”

PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES

– “Officials are taking a look at extending the Silver Line. Here’s where.” by Nik DeCosta-Klipa, Boston.com: “Nearly three years ago, state officials extended the MBTA’s Silver Line to Chelsea. Now, they’re looking to take it farther. Last week, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and MBTA announced the launch of a study of the feasibility and costs of extending Silver Line service into three additional cities: Everett, Somerville, and Cambridge.”

DAY IN COURT

– “Former Transit Police Officer Nicholas Morrissey indicted after authorities say he pinned his knee on the back of a Black man,” by Michael Bonner, MassLive.com: “A former Transit police officer was indicted by a Suffolk County grand jury last week in connection to an incident last April when authorities say he pinned a Black man face down on the ground with his knee and filed a report that was contradicted by video.”

– “Lowell, Westford women indicted for allegedly scamming over $100 million from Medicare and MassHealth,” by Stefan Geller, The Lowell Sun: “Two local women are facing a litany of federal charges after they allegedly scammed MassHealth and Medicare out of more than $100 million by committing health care fraud and paying kickbacks to induce referrals, according to the office of U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling.”

FROM THE DELEGATION

– “Exclusive: Pressley, Warren, and Lee reintroduce bill to fight racism in public health,” by Fabiola Cineas, Vox: “New data shows that Black and brown communities aren’t being reached by mass vaccination efforts, with white Americans having greater access to the vaccine. To tackle these glaring disparities — and the harmful health effects of decades of systemic racism more broadly — Rep. Ayanna Pressley, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and Rep. Barbara Lee are reintroducing a bill in Congress.”

– “Congresswoman Clark On President Biden's Economic Stimulus Package: 'This Is About Crushing This Virus,'” by Joe Mathieu, GBH News: “President Joe Biden is meeting with a group of Republican senators to talk about a counterproposal to Biden's nearly $2 trillion stimulus plan, which many believe is already overdue. GBH Morning Edition host Joe Mathieu spoke with Assistant Speaker of the U.S. House, Congresswoman Katherine Clark, about where she stands on a potential stimulus compromise.”

– “Stimulus plan has ‘zero chance’ of getting delayed by Republicans, says US Rep Lori Trahan,” by Matt Murphy, State House News Service: “As President Joe Biden prepares to meet Monday with a group of Republican senators to discuss a slimmed-down COVID-19 stimulus package, U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan said Monday that bipartisanship should take a back seat to getting people and businesses the relief they need.”

DATELINE D.C.

– “Pittsfield native's working introduction to Capitol: A siege, a sanitizer pole for protection — and praise,” by Dick Lindsay, The Berkshire Eagle: “Pittsfield native Patrick Fallon’s first act as a freshman congressman was to defend the nation’s home to democracy. During the deadly mob attack on the Capitol in Washington on Jan. 6, Fallon and several other members of the U.S. House of Representatives armed themselves with makeshift weapons as Capitol Police evacuated the House chamber.”

ABOVE THE FOLD

— Herald: “ADIEU PEDEY," "MORE TROOPER TROUBLE,” — Globe: “Pedroia hangs up his spikes," "Seniors get their shot.”

FROM THE 413

– “Mass Dems Chair Apologizes To Party Members For Role In Scandal — But Not To Alex Morse,” by Eoin Higgins, The Intercept: “At a recent meeting of Democratic Party officials, Massachusetts Democratic Chair Gus Bickford apologized for his role in the Alex Morse scandal — a gesture that many at the meeting felt was long overdue.”

THE LOCAL ANGLE

– “Number of COVID-19 patients at DCU Center Field Hospital continue to decline,” by Cyrus Moulton, Telegram & Gazette: “The number of COVID-19 patients at the DCU Center Field Hospital continues to decline in line with state trends. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health recorded 1,676 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Saturday, according to the COVID Interactive Data Dashboard.”

– “Nearly one-third of inmates at Norfolk County jail have been vaccinated against COVID, sheriff says,” by David Linton, Sun Chronicle: “Almost a third of the inmates at the Dedham House of Corrections have been vaccinated, according to the Norfolk County Sheriff’s office. ‘Currently, of the inmates able to take the vaccine, we have had 105 who have accepted, which is approximately 30 percent of our population,’ Sheriff Patrick McDermott said.”

– “Somerset neighbors band together against increased activity at Brayton Point site,” by Charles Winokoor, The Herald News: “There’s no love lost between the owners of the former Brayton Point Power Station and residents living in the nearby neighborhood.”

MEDIA MATTERS

– “More telegram.com content will be available exclusively to subscribers,” Telegram & Gazette. Link.

TRANSITIONS – Ana Vivas is leaving her role as deputy press secretary to Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, to become press secretary to House Speaker Ron Mariano. Former Speaker Robert DeLeo aides John Walsh and Whitney Dow Ferguson will serve as Mariano's chief of staff and deputy chief of staff, respectively.

– Marcela Garcia was promoted to a regular Boston Globe Opinion columnist. Tweet.

– Samuel Gebru joins the Black Economic Council of Massachusetts as director of policy & public affairs. Tweet.

– Rowan Walrath is taking over the life sciences beat at the Boston Business Journal, after serving as associate editor at BostInno. Link.

ENGAGED! – CNN’s Lauren Dezenski, a Massachusetts Playbook alum, got engaged to Michael Heifetz at Copper Mountain in Colorado. Tweet.

REMEMBERING LOUIS W. CABOT … via the Boston Globe: “A former president and chairman of Cabot Corp., the specialty chemicals and materials company founded by his grandfather, Mr. Cabot died Friday of heart disease in his home in the Tenants Harbor village of St. George, Maine. He was 99 and also had lived in Sarasota, Fla.” Link.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY – to Elizabeth Warren alum Cassidy Ballard and Matt Keswick.

Want to make an impact? POLITICO Massachusetts has a variety of solutions available for partners looking to reach and activate the most influential people in the Bay State. Have a petition you want signed? A cause you’re promoting? Seeking to increase brand awareness among this key audience? Share your message with our influential readers to foster engagement and drive action. Contact Jesse Shapiro to find out how: jshapiro@politico.com.

 

JOIN WEDNESDAY - AN UNEQUAL BURDEN FOR WOMEN DURING THE PANDEMIC: Covid-19 dealt a significant blow to working women as household work, child care and the care of older adults disproportionately fall to them. A recent report found that 1 in 4 women considered cutting back hours spent at their jobs or dropping out of the workforce altogether, citing increased household and child care responsibilities during the pandemic. How do we start even the burden? Join POLITICO for a virtual discussion on women, work and caregiving during Covid-19.

   

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Stephanie Murray @StephMurr_Jour

 

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RSN: Jeff Cohen | Democratic Leaders Have Blocked Real Healthcare Reform for Decades. Time to Give 'Em Hell.

28 July 20

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WHO CAN STEP UP AND CONTRIBUTE? - We need volunteers to offer a little support to this project. Who can contribute $100? Way behind where we need to be for July at this point. Who do we have, who's out there? In earnest. / Marc Ash, Founder Reader Supported News

Sure, I'll make a donation!

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RSN: Jeff Cohen | Democratic Leaders Have Blocked Real Healthcare Reform for Decades. Time to Give 'Em Hell.

Jeff Cohen, Reader Supported News
Cohen writes: "As harsh neoliberal capitalism dawned in the Reagan '80s, there was a sea change in the country and within the Democratic Party. Democratic leaders - calling themselves 'New Democrats' - scarcely even pretended to resist greedy corporate interests. Those interests were invited into the party and into policy formulation. Enter Bill Clinton."

n 1948, Harry Truman pushed for a national nonprofit health insurance program in his successful, come-from-behind presidential campaign. When Truman’s plan was denounced as “socialized medicine” and “un-American” by the powerful American Medical Association, “Give ‘Em Hell Harry” stood his ground, defending his proposal as “simple Christianity.” 

In 1965, when President Lyndon Johnson secured passage of Medicare (and Medicaid), he traveled to Missouri to formally sign it into law in Truman’s presence – declaring that “the real daddy of Medicare” was Truman. Medicare was federal health insurance for those 65 and older, but proponents hoped it was step one on the way to Medicare for all.  

In the 1970s, it remained the Democratic Party’s official position to support a federally-provided health insurance program for all (“single payer”) – and its strongest advocate was the chair of the Senate Health subcommittee, Ted Kennedy. Supported by unions and seniors, Kennedy introduced a Medicare for All proposal in 1971: the “Health Security Act.” Worried about the plan’s popularity, President Nixon countered with a supposed reform that would preserve for-profit, private insurance: the “Health Insurance Partnership Act.” Kennedy declared, “It’s really a partnership between the administration and insurance companies. It’s not a partnership between patients and doctors of this nation.” 

In 1976, Jimmy Carter promised a national health insurance plan in his victorious campaign for the presidency. Kennedy later called it a “missing promise” – and their discord over healthcare continued through Kennedy’s failed challenge of Carter for the 1980 Democratic presidential nomination.  

As harsh neoliberal capitalism dawned in the Reagan ‘80s, there was a sea change in the country and within the Democratic Party. Democratic leaders – calling themselves “New Democrats” – scarcely even pretended to resist greedy corporate interests. Those interests were invited into the party and into policy formulation. 

Enter Bill Clinton. 

By the 1990s, as day-to-day healthcare decision-making shifted from patients and their doctors to insurers and for-profit corporations, many physicians had joined the call for all Americans to get their insurance from a single federal plan.  

But none of these physicians were invited to the table as the Clinton administration developed its “healthcare reform” policy under the leadership of first lady Hillary Clinton. The policy was largely created by corporate healthcare lobbyists and lawyers known as the Jackson Hole Study Group. The February 28, 1993, New York Times had a photo of the group beneath this headline: “Hillary Clinton’s Potent Brain Trust on Health Reform.” 

In 1993, a Mother Jones writer accurately described the impossible task Hillary Clinton had been handed by the White House: Build a better, leaner, cheaper mousetrap (healthcare system) – but include a player piano (private insurance industry) in the middle of your contraption. 

The goal of the Jackson Hole group was to devise a “reform” that kept the healthcare system in the hands of for-profit corporations. The plan that was ultimately developed – called “Managed Competition” – was so bureaucratic and complicated that the Clintons’ 1,342-page bill never got off the ground.   

At the time, Norman Solomon and I were the only nationally-syndicated columnists critically examining the corporate greed and elite policy-making that was dooming “healthcare reform.” In one column, we wrote: “The imprint of the insurance industry is all over the managed competition idea. The Jackson Hole study group that originated the scheme is made up of big insurance companies like Prudential, Metropolitan Life, Aetna and Cigna, plus hospital and pharmaceutical interests.”  

We cited an article in which “Jackson Hole leaders bluntly argued that managed competition is the only way to avert a government takeover of ‘health care financing’ and the ‘elimination of a multiple-payer private insurance industry.’" 

We complained that the Clinton administration and mainstream media were sidelining a nonprofit single-payer insurance bill “endorsed by 95 members of Congress – plus groups like Consumers Union and Public Citizen.” At the same time the Clinton bill went nowhere, the White House made sure that real reform – a streamlined plan not devised by Aetna, Cigna or Big Pharma – never got voted on.  

What was true in 1993 is true today: Health insurance companies do not heal anyone. All they contribute to healthcare is excess bureaucracy for medical professionals, devious advertising, sales commissions – plus exorbitant profits ($10 billion in one quarter last year for the Big 8 insurers) and lavish executive salaries. Compensation for healthcare CEOs averaged $18 million in 2018. 

Single payer doesn’t just cut costs by eliminating the waste caused by a multiplicity of for-profit insurers – but also because the purchasing power of a federal plan can rein in pharmaceutical and other exploding costs. 

Jump forward from the Clinton to the Obama years, and we saw a similar dynamic from Democratic leaders. Powerful healthcare lobbyists made sure that cost-effective Medicare for All would not even be considered, while these same lobbyists were at the table helping to devise “reform.” Who was at the table explains why giant insurance and pharma companies have been so enriched in the last decade.    

Don’t get me wrong: It’s a good thing that people with pre-existing conditions could get coverage under Obamacare (although too expensively) and that Medicaid was expanded (in the states where the GOP didn’t block it). It’s not a good thing that roughly 30 million people were left without health insurance BEFORE the jobless crisis caused by Covid-19, and that millions more were under-insured. And it’s not a good thing that healthcare costs were hardly contained.  

History teaches a clear lesson: The fact that our nation is the only advanced industrial country without universal healthcare cannot be blamed on Republican obstruction alone. It was also caused by Democratic leaders who’ve spent decades catering to corporate interests (while collecting their campaign donations) – and refusing to fight for universal coverage.  

This history of Democratic obstruction and vacillation is why hundreds of elected delegates to next month’s Democratic convention have put their foot down. They’ve signed a petition pledging to vote down the party platform if it “does not include a plank supporting universal, single-payer Medicare for All.” The petition’s initiator is Judith Whitmer, chair of the convention’s Nevada delegation. She told Politico: “This pandemic has shown us that our private health insurance system does not work for the American people. Millions of people have lost their jobs and their healthcare at the same time.” 

By demanding of the party leadership what Harry Truman called for 72 years ago, Whitmer and other Democratic activists are indeed “giving ‘em hell.”   

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Jeff Cohen is co-founder of the activism group RootsAction.org and founder of the media watch group FAIR.

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.

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