Reducing Health Inequities - Wealth & Poverty Class 11
And what the pandemic taught us
Click here for the Class 11 slides.
Looking for another session? Click the link for: Class 1, Class 2, Class 3, Class 4, Class 5, Class 6, Class 7, Class 8, Class 9, Class 10, Class 12, Class 13, Class 14.
Welcome back to my Wealth and Poverty class. We’re coming up to near the end of the semester but still have a lot to do — so keep your seatbelts on.
This week we examine inequities in health. Among the questions I’ll be addressing are: Why and how are inequalities of income, wealth, power, and race related to health? Next, assuming that good health care is a limited resource, what’s the best means of allocating it – through the so-called “free market,” through rationing, through government subsidies, or some other means? More specifically, I’ll be asking how poor and lower-income families can achieve better health? Which inevitably raises the question whether we should move toward a single-payer healthcare plan — and if so, how? And finally, how is the range of politically acceptable health policy solutions likely to change as a result of the pandemic?
So glad you can be here today. (As before, if you’re receiving this free of charge, please consider a paid or paid gift subscription so we can do even more.)
Recommended readings (just click on the link):
Status highly collated with health outcomes. Life expectancy, all of them. Studies of the finances repeatedly show the savings over a decade if we covered everyone with enhanced Medicare for All, and health would be vastly improved, lives saved. The Congressional Budget Office, Forbes, Koch Bros funded studies have all confirmed the reduced overhead and marketing costs of Single Payer would have these great benefits in health and economy. Just let your mind roam: with such a policy auto insurance rates could be reduced since accident victims would have medical costs covered. Our ability to compare disease info from various locations to identify early outbreaks would be vastly improved (that info now is mostly obtained through analysis of other already existing widespread health plans like Medicare). All the information for employers complying with requirements of ACA to report numbers of employees and which ones are part time or contract workers since different employer requirements for 25-50 employees and 50-100, changing provider info constantly, copays and so on for every medical visit to physicians, rehab, pharmacy, etc. In Canada: you have a "smart card" which is swiped and medical history not privacy blocked shows up on the screen and is updated when you leave.....I will stop there.
" asking how poor and lower-income families can achieve better health? " omg clear as a bell is the answer. STOP protecting Obama legacy! Counter Clyburn propaganda for his special class saying black women won the election when not even close being true with a max talking about 4% of voters. This propaganda was used by Clyburn to defeat Sanders's Medicare For All when Medicare For All is the ONLY way America can achieve better health care. The black caucus was saying need to save Obama legacy all the time. Now they want an increase in government subsidies to Obama care by talking it from 20% coverage to 30% coverage when Medicare For All is 100% coverage. Come on Man Lets Get Real Robert. Every time you hear the Pelosi-Clyburn lines of we need to add this or that to "universal" ACA to help this class people or that class of people just do what Kucinich of Clev said moons ago - all you have to do is change one word, 65 to ALL. To fund it put tax on corporations and very wealthy. Or really, you think about it put a war tax on corporations and very wealthy to pay the debt off that Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, now Ukraine put on tab - what 30 Trillion. How could they say I am not paying for someone else x y z when it is a national patriotic duty to protect our country. Then put Medicare For All on the tab.