Life needs to be more affordable, and soon. Pursuing a healthy, affordable and world-class healthcare system is a concrete way for Democrats to demonstrate how governance works by taking care of people. It’s not socialism; it’s society.
It’s necessary to replace a broken system with something else. That’s why Medicare for All makes so much sense. It is an existing system, proven over six decades; so successful, it keeps getting expanded, by Clinton in 1997 and Bush II in 2006. There is a lot to fix in this nation. A smart place to start is Medicare for All.
The operational model of Medicare has been working for decades. Rollout for all is just a matter of scale. And political will.
This bill is already written, brought before Congress annually by Bernie Sanders. Imagine the Medicare for All Act passes both houses in 2027. Even with a veto, that’s a legislative win the Democrats can build on to take the next election and get deep change done.
The richest and most powerful nation in the history of the world should be sharing the flourishing of the tech and AI age with its dedicated populace. Physical, mental and emotional health is a national security issue. Call one’s representatives in the Democratic party to bring about a congressional vote as soon as the party takes power.
We have to keep safeguarding democracy—and insisting it improve. To make that possible, we need to address affordability, and a proven systemic change that reduces the economic pressure on households already exists in Medicare for All. Let’s push for it right now, for all of us.
The Medicare for All California website (healthcareforall.org) says it right there at the top, “Everybody in, nobody out.”
Michael Giotis is a poet and journalist in Petaluma.
