Posts by Benjamin Day
Solidarity Forever: a Labor History of Medicare for All
Mark Dudzic, National Coordinator for the Labor Campaign for Single Payer, joins us again to take a deep dive into the recent history of Medicare for All organizing within the labor movement, including the political calculations made during the failed Clinton health reform push, the changing landscape for unions through the Affordable Care Act, labor’s…
Read MoreLabor and Medicare for All, Part I
Mark Dudzic, National Coordinator of the Labor Campaign for Single Payer Healthcare, talks about his experiences as a union president that led him to become a Medicare for All activist. He answers our questions about the conflicts in the labor movement over Medicare for All that played out in the presidential primary, the Supreme Court…
Read MoreThe Longterm Care Crisis in the United States
We talk with Linda Benesch of Social Security Works about the state of longterm care in the United States – the skimpy coverage provided by public programs like Medicare and Medicaid, the outrageous costs, the for-profit corporations running the vast majority of our nursing homes, and the people – the 70% of Americans who will…
Read MoreLongterm Care in Denmark vs the United States
Stephanie’s father-in-law, a Danish citizen, is currently moving into assisted living just outside of Copenhagen. His flat is only $1,000 per month, and the home help and rehabilitation he’ll receive is totally free of charge. We wondered about the differences between the U.S. and Denmark’s longterm care system, so we invited a special guest to…
Read MoreNew Sanders/Jayapal bill: the Healthcare Emergency Guarantee Act
Next week, Medicare for All lead sponsors Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Pramila Jayapal will introduce a bill that will authorize Medicare to fully cover medical costs for the uninsured until we have a widely available vaccine for COVID-19. The bill would also provide wrap-around coverage for everyone on public or private insurance. We contrast…
Read MoreProgressives propose Medicare for the Uninsured; Pelosi proposes COBRA subsidies
In response to the COVID-19 crisis, Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Pramila Jayapal draft a bill that would expand Medicare to all who are uninsured for the duration of the crisis. Nancy Pelosi introduces a bill that would cover the full cost of premiums for people who lost employer-sponsored health insurance. Unfortunately, that accounts for…
Read MoreBernie drops out, COVID-19 rages on
We take a look at the impact that Bernie Sanders campaign had on the Medicare for All movement. COVID-19 brings out the pinko commie in NY Governor Andrew Cuomo, who decides to socialize the NY hospital systems. People of color are, as with everything health-related, hit disproportionately by the effects of COVID-19, with blacks being…
Read MoreCOVID-19: millions lose their job – and health insurance – during a pandemic
COVID-19 reveals what we knew all along: that employment-based health insurance is messed up. In this episode, we explore the consequences that unjust policies and an inadequate safety net have brought to bear in the face of a public health crisis. Joe Biden also takes some heat for doubling down on his opposition to Medicare…
Read MoreSuper Tuesday, the “Electability” Argument, Workers’ Rights, Elizabeth Warren & the Tax Problem
Medicare for All wins Super Tuesday, even if its most loyal candidates did not. The stock market – especially healthcare stocks – freaked over Sanders’s rise, and then stabilized after Biden’s comeback. Profits safe! Gillian Mason, Director of Massachusetts Jobs with Justice, talks about giving power back to workers with Medicare for All. Elizabeth Warren’s…
Read MoreSouth Carolina, Coronavirus, Wonk Wars, and Organizing Victories
Joe Biden wins his first, and so far only, primary with the help of Medicare for All supporters. Trump’s team doesn’t believe in the coronavirus, but if it does exist, Medicare for All would make it worse (?!?). Centrist policy experts trash the Yale Medicare for All study and then trash the entire policy of…
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