We need Medicare for All now.
It is complete insanity that even the concept of employment-based healthcare exists in this country. Is this the “American Exceptionalism” we hear so much about? That only in America, are people afraid to go to the doctor or emergency room when they are sick, for fear of financial repercussions?
Just since the coronavirus pandemic hit the U.S. about 4 weeks ago, over 22 million people have registered for unemployment. Many of these people will have also lost their health insurance, which is largely tied to one’s employer. So how are people supposed to attend to their health during a global pandemic, if their ability to access healthcare is tied to a job they just lost?
The answer is they can’t.
Healthcare should be a human right, not a privilege. At the very least we need to walk out of this disaster with universal healthcare.