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It’s time for Democrats to play offense on healthcare

8 42
yesterday

You don’t need a doctor to tell you America’s healthcare system is broken, but I’ll tell you anyway. Having led two public health departments, I’ve seen first-hand the struggles that working people face trying to survive in a system that has become unaffordable and purposely confusing.

We all feel it. Most of us feel it when we try to schedule an appointment. Others feel it when we wait hours for eight minutes with a provider. Worst of all, we feel it when we face bills we can’t pay – despite being insured.

Republicans are dead set on destroying the Affordable Care Act. They are proving it with cuts to Medicaid and ACA subsidies. That’s why it’s not enough for Democrats to play defense. We need to go on offense for the kind of healthcare system Americans actually deserve. And that is nothing short of the full elimination of medical debt – and guaranteeing healthcare through Medicare for All.

For the last 15 years, Republicans have taken a sledgehammer to what little stability we have, all to boost their big insurance and big pharma donors. After a government shutdown over expiring ACA tax credits, many Republicans now seem hellbent on eliminating ACA tax credits altogether, effectively pricing millions out of coverage. When people are forced out of the system, they still need healthcare. They get it in emergency rooms – after their illness has progressed. That care isn’t free; its costs........

© The Guardian