Discover and read the best of Twitter Threads about #PublicOption
Most recents (14)
We advocate for #singlepayer, #MedicareForAll and #CalCare, and reject half measures because single payer is the correct policy, not because we're some sort of wild-eyed radicals.
THREAD on how people insisting we compromise out of the gate are the unreasonable ones ššš
THREAD on how people insisting we compromise out of the gate are the unreasonable ones ššš
1) I've heard talk about how @CalNurses and other #CalCare proponents are "unreasonable." That we "won't compromise." That "you can't win that way."
My question to these people is...have you been paying attention at all over the last decade and a half?
My question to these people is...have you been paying attention at all over the last decade and a half?
2) Rewind to debate over the #ACA. Remember how the initial push was for a #PublicOption? Specifically, a robust one that tied payment rates to Medicare. Not a permanent fix to our health care system by any stretch, but certainly better than we ultimately got.
Did we get it? No
Did we get it? No
Tremendous respect for @TomasPhilipson; lots of issues with his latest in @WSJopinion.
š§µ...
wsj.com/articles/medicā¦ #CatoHealth
š§µ...
wsj.com/articles/medicā¦ #CatoHealth
First, some background.
Congress has complete control over the prices Medicare pays for drugs.
By most accounts, it sets drug prices too high. It agrees to pay drug makers whatever they charge for 6 categories of Part D drugs, encourages excessive drug prices in Part B, etc.
Congress has complete control over the prices Medicare pays for drugs.
By most accounts, it sets drug prices too high. It agrees to pay drug makers whatever they charge for 6 categories of Part D drugs, encourages excessive drug prices in Part B, etc.
The policy mechanisms that produce those prices were not efforts to achieve the optimal quantities of QUALYs or innovation or anything so noble.
They were political compromises Congress enacted to make the drug industry happy. So one should not assume current prices are optimal.
They were political compromises Congress enacted to make the drug industry happy. So one should not assume current prices are optimal.
#Moderna is quadrupling the cost of #covid #vaccines, from $26/dose to $110-130. CEO Stephane Bancel calls the price hike "consistent with the value" of the #MRNA vaccines. Moderna's costs are $2.85/dose, for a 4,460% markup on every dose:
arstechnica.com/science/2023/0ā¦ 1/
arstechnica.com/science/2023/0ā¦ 1/
If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:
pluralistic.net/2023/01/24/natā¦ 2/
pluralistic.net/2023/01/24/natā¦ 2/
Now, obviously the manufacturing costs are only part of the cost of making a vaccine: there's also all the high-risk capital that goes into doing the basic research. 3/
As an ER doc for 20 years, I have only ever wanted my patients to get the care they need. Like many, I have been critical of @realDonaldTrumpās lack of a plan to control #COVID19 & his desire to eliminate health insurance for 25 million. Hereās why I voted *for* @joebiden: (1/11)
Itās not just that he isnāt Trump, although I canāt think of anyone worse that could be President in this moment. Not being Trump isnāt enough to stand in line for hours in a mask just to vote. Biden may be especially suited to lead us out of the darkness at this time. (2/11)
Biden is an institutionalist. He believes in the power of government to makes peoplesā lives better. Government is not everything, but through good governance, it can make a meaningful difference in the lives of everyday Americans. This is especially true of healthcare. (3/11)
I wish people would talk about why the #ACA wasn't able to have it's full reach. That at every step of the way, it was sabotaged by people who didn't want it to be successful. (A thread) @BarackObama @JoeBiden @FutureDocs
By forcing the removal of the #PublicOption from the outset, there was no low-cost plan that commercial insurers would have to compete against. Read - they charge more #mypremiumsarehigh
By denying constituents #MedicaidExpansion, governors and state legislatures forced people to go w/o insurance and screenings (out of spite) In fact, they would have qualified for free Medicaid and coverage. They yelled, "See how hight your premiums are!" But go ahead, blame #ACA
This is the #DemPartyPlatform for 2020.This part is called: Achieving Racial Justice and Equity
Only one party has a specific plan for healing the wounds of systemic institutional racism and the legacy of slavery & for achieving equity-the other party denies they still hurt 1/10
Only one party has a specific plan for healing the wounds of systemic institutional racism and the legacy of slavery & for achieving equity-the other party denies they still hurt 1/10
#Democrats believe it is unacceptable that schools are more segregated today than they were in the late 1960s. 2/10 #DemPartyPlatform #racialjustice #Edupolicy
#Democrats believe education is a critical public good, and will increase investments to guarantee all students can access high-quality public schools, no matter where they live, so students of color are well prepared to thrive in college and careers. 3/10 #DemPartyPlatform
This is the #DemPartyPlatform for 2020. This section is called: Securing Universal Health Care Through a Public Option
Only one party has a specific plan for ensuring EVERY American will have access to quality healthcare as a human right..the other fights to TAKE IT AWAY. 1/10
Only one party has a specific plan for ensuring EVERY American will have access to quality healthcare as a human right..the other fights to TAKE IT AWAY. 1/10
#Democrats believe we need to protect, strengthen, and build upon our bedrock health care programs, including the Affordable Care Act, Medicare, Medicaid, and the Veterans Affairs (VA) system.2/11 #DemPartyPlatform #Healthcare
Private insurers need real competition to ensure they have incentive to provide affordable, quality coverage to every American.3/11 #DemPartyPlatform #PublicOption #Healthcare
While brave doctors and nurses are on the front lines battling #COVID19, the hospitals where many of them work are part of a secret dark money group trying to stop health reform efforts (1/8)
@ahahospitals is a member of @P4AHCF, a group of corporate insurance and pharma companies that spends millions of patients' dollars trying to scare the public about health reform (2/8)
@ahahospitals pays financial dues to @P4AHCF, which helps support its army of corporate lobbyists and anti-reform propaganda campaign (3/8)
Hi everyone. I'm one of those restaurant workers, a former entrepreneur, and a student of foreign policy. I can't believe our system is so broken we can't protect our citizens from #COVIDć¼19 the way South Korea can, but I've been developing a solution for ~2 years. Thread, 1/x
Yes, our country is embroiled in political gridlock. Yes, our country is divided. But it has been since our country's founding. The sooner we disabuse ourselves of the notion that it's #SenateDemocrats' or #SenateRepublicans' fault, the better. 2/x
I don't say this as a facile "it's always been this way" response. The fact is that we are a network of 150-plus-year-old settlements that sought religious freedom and self-determination. We determined our borders initially by rivers and geographic coordinates, not culture. 3/x
After months of pressure from the #MedicareForAll movement the House @EnergyCommerce hearing on Universal Health Care is set to begin in 30 mins.
We'll be tweeting along in this thread, otherwise you can watch the proceedings live here:
We'll be tweeting along in this thread, otherwise you can watch the proceedings live here:
@EnergyCommerce Last week we talked to @RepAnnaEshoo constituent Luisa, a mother of two who is disabled and relies on Medicare to survive. She supports #MedicareForAll because she knows that nobody should die or forego care because they cannot afford it.
@EnergyCommerce @RepAnnaEshoo "One size fits all"
"Fix what's working, oppose what doesn't"
Looks like @michaelcburgess got his marching orders from @P4AHCF! But the people see through Pharma and the insurance company lies. #MedicareForAll is still overwhelmingly popular
"Fix what's working, oppose what doesn't"
Looks like @michaelcburgess got his marching orders from @P4AHCF! But the people see through Pharma and the insurance company lies. #MedicareForAll is still overwhelmingly popular
š£ IMPORTANT: The Dem POTUS candidates seem to be bogged down in a #M4All vs. #PublicOption debate...but EITHER of those would take several years to get passed, signed, implemented & ramped up. In the meantime, the #ACA itself desperately needs to be protected & strengthened. 1/
Robust #ACA2.0 bills have been introduced by both @HouseDemocrats (#HR1868 / #HR1884) *and* @SenateDems (#S1213, aka #CHIPA), and either of them could be implemented almost immediately upon signing.
Yet there's been little movement on either of these since last spring. 2/
Yet there's been little movement on either of these since last spring. 2/
I respect the folks at @commonwealthfnd. But this study takes the framing @AHIPCoverage wants us to use to consider all insurance reform proposals. Thatās very bad for an honest debate on #Medicare4All vs #publicoption vs the rest. Let me explain why. commonwealthfund.org/publications/iā¦
The ātoplineā Commonwealth identifies is this: āThe U.S. could achieve near-universal coverage, and even decrease national health spending, by building on our current publicāprivate insurance system.ā Thatās not the problems tens of millions of people want to be solved.
This continues to assume we should consider programs based on how they increase access. That was the debate in 1993 and 2009. Itās not the debate now.
WA was the first state to adopt a health care #PublicOption. Thank you to @WAplanfinder CEO Pam MacEwan for taking our story to Congress today, and sharing the bold steps we've taken to expand access to affordable health care.
wahbexchange.org/macewan-testifā¦
wahbexchange.org/macewan-testifā¦
WA's new #PublicOption will ensure families can get the care they need. It builds on the life-saving benefits the #ACA has provided to 800,000 Washingtonians, including veterans, cancer patients and those battling opioid & substance abuse disorder.
seattletimes.com/seattle-news/pā¦
seattletimes.com/seattle-news/pā¦
Thatās why WA stands strong to protect the gains we've made expanding health care access, despite the many federal actions over the past 2 yrs to undermine the #ACA and bring instability & uncertainty to our market. Now, #PublicOption will offer coverage to even more WA families.
Another difference #ACA makes!
2010-12: With my Cobra ending, in GA I stay covered via obscure HIPPA protections. My only choice: Celtic Insurance owned by Centene Corp. For my Humira drug, Celtic makes me pay tens thousands up front as pay first & manually snail mail claims 1/
2010-12: With my Cobra ending, in GA I stay covered via obscure HIPPA protections. My only choice: Celtic Insurance owned by Centene Corp. For my Humira drug, Celtic makes me pay tens thousands up front as pay first & manually snail mail claims 1/
To make matters worse, this insurance takes up to 9 months to reimburse me as I float tens of thousands dollars via savings or credit cards. Other times, insurance says submit my bills (as claims) from CVS Specialty Pharmacy instead, but then CVS hounds me for unpaid bills! 2/
While all this is happening, insurance has no transparency in their online portal or snail mail of the processing, status, or even the existence of my claims! I'm completely in the dark, I have to call & call & call this insurance's customer service representatives for info 3/
