All Americans deserve health care

Who out there likes to see people suffer? Raise your hand, please. I am dead serious.

Have you known people who couldn’t pay for insurance or a doctor’s care or medicine? There were many times in my life when I couldn’t afford health insurance and just hoped nothing would happen to me or my family because I didn’t have the money to pay for any type of care.

During one of those times, I had to be hospitalized and had no clue where the money would come from. A social worker at the hospital in Chicago came to me after surgery and explained how to apply for Medicaid.

Fortunately, I qualified, and the hospitalization and surgery were paid for.

I was lucky, but there are many in this country who “make too much money” to qualify for Medicaid in their state. What happens to them? They suffer and live in pain and die.

Are we a country that allows this to happen to people because they can’t afford private, for-profit insurance? Do we believe it is more important to allow drug companies to reap profits, profits that come from real people? What do we value? Money or people?

On July 24 there will be marches all over this country demanding Medicare for All. I believe health care is a right afforded to everyone. Each one of us deserves to live a healthy life — no ifs, ands or buts. There should be no test to qualify for health care. The federal government can pay for it without taking money from anyone’s pocket, despite what you’ve heard, what politicians say or what you think you know is correct.

Spending by the federal government doesn’t come from your taxes. State taxes come from us because states are currency users, not the issuer of the currency like the federal government is. Here’s a video on issuer vs. user https://youtu.be/mODnz8DnhCQ.

All spending at the federal level is new spending appropriated by Congress for what they, the 535 members, agree to spend it on. That is how it works, and you can believe me or not.

Congress doesn’t print dollars or take money from a big piggy bank to pay any company, person, state. Directions are given and accounts are credited by keystrokes. Proof exists to demonstrate how the system works, and I’m more than happy to share that with you. Call or email me any time, please.

Back to the march on July 24. As I write this, more than 14 groups nationwide have signed on as sponsors of this event, and they represent thousands of individuals. City after city is signing on to march on this day. You can find more information on the national website, https://m4m4all.org/, beginning with this paragraph:

“Currently more than 30 million Americans still do not have health insurance, and even more are underinsured. Even for some who already have coverage, premiums are so high that many cannot afford it. Despite the health care industry being a substantial amount of the GDP, Americans still rank high in many health conditions and have a higher infant mortality rate than countries that spend much less. Americans deserve better.”

The bottom line to me is whether you believe Americans deserve better; you either do or you don’t. If it is shown that Medicare for All is not going to take money from you, does not have to increase your taxes in any way, shape or form, and will stop so many issues connected to illness, why would anyone be against this proposal?

Here is an article (https://realprogressives.org/warren-moslers-crisis-management-proposal) written at the start of the pandemic. Item number six suggests: “Lower the eligibility age of free Medicare from 65 to 0 and adequately fund it to provide medical care that makes us proud to be Americans.” Looks straightforward to me.

The words “adequately fund it” are vital. Congress chooses where the money goes. They need to hear from us we want a country that is healthy, not suffering.

Do we put people before money? You decide.

The opinions expressed above belong solely to the author and do not represent the views of the Boulder City Review. They have been edited solely for grammar, spelling and style, and have not been checked for accuracy of the viewpoints.

Rose Ann Miele is a journalist and was public information officer for Boulder City for nine years. She is the national outreach director for Real Progressives. She can be reached at roseannrab@hotmail.com or at 702-339-9082.