By George Bohmfalk, M.D.
The Aspen (Colo.) Times, Letters, March 20, 2021
Thursday’s editorial cartoon, with the doctor asking the patient how good her insurance is, was very timely. Millions of Americans watched their health care insurance disappear during the pandemic along with their jobs. Those fortunate enough to keep their coverage saw their costs continue to rise, in higher deductibles, co-payments, and other out-of-pocket expenses.
This week the 2021 Medicare for All bill was introduced in the House of Representatives with more co-sponsors than this issue has ever had, including the powerful chairman of the Energy & Commerce Committee, Rep. Frank Pallone (NJ), and Colorado Reps. Diana DeGette, Ed Perlmutter, and Joe Neguse. A nearly identical bill will soon be introduced in the Senate.
Over 70% of Americans support a system of publicly financed health care like Medicare for All. The rest either don’t yet understand its advantages or are blinded by ideological misinformation. The pandemic has exposed more of the glaring deficiencies in our current non-system, especially unconscionable racial health care inequities. We continue to lose lives unnecessarily as vaccine distribution suffers from lack of nationwide coordination.
Under Medicare for All, not only will you be able to keep your doctor, but millions who never had that privilege will finally benefit from it. Your unreliable and limited insurance plan will indeed be replaced, by one that will always be there for you, come high water or another pandemic, even if you lose your job. There are around 330 million good reasons for Medicare for All, and not a single legitimate one against it.
Please urge Rep. Crow and Sens Bennett and Hickenlooper to support it. We need and deserve it, all 330 million of us.