…and say Medicare for All is good for capitalism!
South Dakota truckers aren’t the only folks staging a protest on the prairie today. Nurses at Avera Marshall are holding an informational picket (not a strike) today from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. to alert the public to their concerns about profit-driven restructuring that may be endangering patient safety with short staffs:
A letter from the Minnesota Nurses Association to the hospital says nurses are planning the picket from 4:30 until 7:30 p.m. Thursday.
In a message to Marshal Radio, nurses say Avera’s recent restructuring at the hospital and clinic is putting patients and the community at risk. Nurses add they want proper training for their jobs and safe patient care ahead of “any kind of profit” [“Nurses to Set up Informational Picket at Avera Marshall,” Marshall Radio, 2019.09.27].
The Minnesota Nurses Association used picketing this year to support successful negotiations for better contracts for nurses at two Duluth hospitals in September.
In another recognition of the power of collective action to put people before profits in health care, the Minnesota Nurses Association also promotes Medicare for All:
These are exciting times for those of us who believe healthcare is a basic need for every person, and no one should go bankrupt because they had the bad luck to get sick.
Healthcare was the number one issue for voters in November. Candidates across the country ran and won on a platform of Medicare for All. Prospective 2020 presidential candidates are signaling their support. Public opinion polls consistently show a majority of Americans – including a majority of Republicans, according to this poll – support Medicare for All.
MNA nurses and many of your fellow front-line healthcare professionals have long supported moving to a system that:
- guarantees healthcare (not insurance) for every American, including prescriptions, dental and vision;
- costs far less for Americans than they’re currently paying in premiums, deductibles, and co-pays;
- makes the system simpler for patients and providers and lets people focus on their health instead of their bills [Geri Katz, MNA Healthcare Reform Specialist, “Medicare for All Bill Lives Again!” Minnesota Nurses Association, 2019.01.18].
The Minnesota Nurses Association notes with a September 26 Facebook post that national health insurance would be good for entrepreneurial capitalism:
There is a growing body of evidence to support the idea that national health insurance would boost entrepreneurship. Researchers at the Kauffman-RAND Institute for Entrepreneurship Public Policy found that people who get health coverage through their spouses are much more likely to strike out on their own, as are people who qualify for Medicare. Meanwhile, a reform in New Jersey that made it easier to purchase insurance independently has boosted self-employment. A nationwide program to provide insurance to low-income families with children also appears to have increased entrepreneurship.
National health insurance would act like these programs, but on a grand scale. Aspiring entrepreneurs would no longer have to worry about getting their health insurance from their spouse, or buying a costly plan on their own in the private market; it would just be there, in the background, providing a safety net that makes the prospect of starting a business less frightening.
Similarly, national health insurance would also make it easier to switch jobs. Quitting your job to look for a better one can mean losing your health insurance — a scary prospect, particularly for those with chronic medical conditions. Economists have found evidence that the employer-based health system locks people into their jobs. This not only gives employers more power to hold down wages, but it contributes to the nationwide trend of declining job mobility. Worker who are reluctant to move to the best jobs make the economy less productive [Noah Smith, “National Health Insurance Might Be Good for Capitalism,” Bloomberg, 2019.09.23].
The Minnesota Nurses Association reminds us that our economy depends on well-informed, healthy people working together.
Chubby doesn’t believe in Medicare for all, no profit margin for corruption. Instead, Chubby will roll out the Medicare Advantage, you know the one Bush shoved down our throats in 2003. Great prices if you don’t use them and are not stuck in rural areas where the network is not expanded. Why not have the same costs and call it what you will, but have there not be any networks, just coverage for under $200.00 a month. Your Medicare Part B is about $135.00 bucks a month and this new old plan that Chubby will roll out today is under $30.00 a month, so there ya go.
More or less, just like Medicare for All. You don’t get nothing for free.
During the Italian Renaissance, arguably the most creative and artistic period in history, the poor had universal healthcare as part of their taxes to the Medici’s. Obamacare increased small business initiation until it was disemboweled by Republicans. Is it any wonder big business and the super wealthy spend billions to dismantle, demean, and destroy universal healthcare?
https://www.open.edu/openlearn/history-the-arts/history/history-science-technology-and-medicine/history-medicine/the-italian-patient-health-care-renaissance-italy
Porter, interesting! Universal healthcare during the Renaissance? I’d never heard that. Can we draw connections between those poor people getting their leeches covered by taxes and more people engaging in commerce?
Yes. Florence and Venice were worldwide trade hubs. Merchants would get medical assistance when in port or in town. Most of the doctors were women however women couldn’t go to medical school. Every male doctor trained his wife, their female friends, and his daughters. Even surgery was covered. Doctors were without expenses as their needs and education were provided. In turn, they practiced without renumeration.
Porter, I wasn’t aware of that either. Great plan. So the Italians were about 400 years ahead of us.