Happy Birthday, Dear Medicare!
By Pippa Abston MD, PhD, FAAP
Happy Birthday, Medicare! I should send you one of those gag cards that teases you about getting olderābut at 46, youāre a year younger than I am, so I wonāt go there. On your special day, a little reminiscing about your lifeā¦
You sure did have a hard time in the womb. Many times, your enemiesāthe ones we always have with us, those who believe man is an island entire of himselfātried to abort you. Even the doctors in the AMA worked like the dickens to get rid of you. They didnāt kill you, thank goodness, but they did succeed in maiming you. You were conceived as a public insurance for us all, but by the time you were born you had lost the limbs to care for those under age 65. And you were hobbled so that you could only cover limited services, leaving deductibles and co-pays.
Even with your birth injuries, youāve managed to do a lot of good in your 46 years. Iām grateful for the service youāve given to my grandparents, my father, and my in-laws. Without your help, my husband and I would have been bankrupt long ago trying to help pay for their medical care. Folks who worry about being in the āsandwich generationā now probably donāt realize how bad it would be with medical bills piled on top of that sandwich. Our finances would be panini, or maybe toast.
Your enemies have tried to poison you over the years. They force you to donate blood to something they call āMedicare Advantageā, private corporations who divert your precious transfusions toward their own profit instead of caring for patients. These same enemies put a gag over your mouth so you couldnāt negotiate with drug companies for fair prices. Even today, some are working to drain all your blood and give it to private corporate vampires.
These actions have weakened you, but thereās a way to restore you to health. Weāve got the technology to reattach the limbs you lost at birth, so you can become what you were always meant to beāMedicare for All. Not only that, but we can improve youāmake you cheaper and strongerāby removing your burdensome co-pays and deductibles.
Some worry youād be slower with all your limbs. We can plan ahead to solve that problem by training more doctors and other health workers. Once we remove all those bloodsucking insurance companies from you and the rest of us, you can get your strength back. Our healthcare system as a whole has had to operate on 2/3 power for decades, while private insurers and the associated administrative costs have siphoned off a third of our medical funds. Imagine what we can do when fully powered!
Happy Birthday, Medicare! Iāll quit talking about your enemiesāafter all, this is a day to celebrate. You also have friends. Friends who love you are working tirelessly to help you fulfill your dreams. Physicians for a National Health Program, Healthcare-Now!, and many other organizations, including labor unions and churches, continue to gain new members working for your cause. Thereās great hope in the next generation of doctorsāthe largest medical student group, the American Medical Student Association, officially endorses Medicare for All. Even smart conservatives support you, because you are the most financially responsible way to address our health insurance needs.
So today, itās all about you! Weāre having parties and singing your song, all over the country. Happy Birthday, Dear Medicare. May you have many, many more.
Dr. Pippa Abston, a general pediatrician, sees patients and teaches medical students and residents in Huntsville, Alabama. She posted the essay above at Pippa Abston’s Blog: A Pediatrician’s Perspective on Healthcare Reform.