Majority of Americans support Medicare for All. But both parties are against it. Marijuana legalization is easier to pass than healthcare because there are no entrenched corporate interests against it:
When we poll with what Medicare for All will do, support is massive.
Health care in the US is an increasingly brutal, over the top expensive mess.
Frankly, a quick look at why they want a public option is exactly why they would easily support Medicare for All.
Nobody loves their health care insurance company. And where they may be stoic to positive, it is only because they are insulated from the mess, or just have not actually had to receive significant care of any kind.
Tons of people, myself included, have seen serious financial ruin, and in my case it boiled down to basically trading my home and financial future for my spouse.
We got past it, but will never see the future I worked very hard for.
Health insurance companies do not actually add any value. Most of the developed world understands this, and how a market approach for primary care conflicts with fixing sick people.
Right now the priority is making money, not fixing people, and it shows.
More people experience it, or know someone who has every day. I make damn sure to educate others any time, any day, any place.
Once people actually experience Medicare, they love it. I have watched even the most staunch advocates for our current system age in and then change their tune.
There are exceptions, and those people buy Medicare Advantage plans and often seek help getting back to plain old Medicare, which is very difficult, by design. Ever wonder why that is?
> they want a public option, which differs from Medicare.
Medicare is a system by which (currently, a subset) of Americans may select[0] either publicly subsidized private health plans or a purely-public[1] option.
The difference between this and the ACA plus a public option is...not that much.
[0] well, except for many Medicare/Medicaid dual-eligibles, for which a single plan (often fully-publicly-subsized private) covering both programs is selected for them by their state.
[1] actually administered by regional private contractors under federal rules.
Imho, a significant part of the problem is gerrymandering [1]. A certain party has outsized influence because of gerrymandering (but this shouldn’t absolve moderate/corporate Dems of their failings either, especially with Biden opposing legalization; read the room my dude).
1.8 million voters over the age of 55 age out every year, and election cycles are every two years. We’ll get there eventually (on Medicare for All and marijuana legalization), it’s just a matter of time. Until then, keep knocking it out at the state level. [2]
It’s part of the problem but both parties have had total control in the last 5 years and yet nothing has been passed on the federal level. The problem is that all the representatives are in the over 75 yo group
That’s a bit myopic to claim that the nation’s struggles are due to one party’s inability to achieve a majority, isn’t it? Evil sits on both sides of the aisle.
The Democrats have a majority now and did in 2010. They haven’t even attempted to pass marijuana legalization. I have my theories as to why but they certainly have nothing to do with gerrymandering.
The Senate is split 50-50. It's fair to say one half of that is more strongly opposed to it than the other since their states even rejected the Medicaid expansion accompanying Obamacare.
So it sounds like the Senate is doing a poor job of representing the people. Which leads to the obvious question: why have a Senate at all?
I know you just brought it up as an example, but I'm much more interested in a Direct Primary Care healthcare strategy over Medicare for All. https://www.dpcare.org/
Could not figure out what DPC is, besides that it's a new innovative way of patients and doctors working together for their mutual benefit with no obvious drawbacks.
That's not a reasonable comparison -- medical care is a much more complicated question, and people are much less likely to underatand what yes/no really mean.
Pew Research has another survey where those polled about their satisfaction with healthcare programs rated Medicare the highest. The link escapes me, but it is there, I have linked to it previously.
I've experienced the Canadian healthcare system (similar to Medicare for All) as a patient, and I've experienced the American healthcare industry as a "customer" (Note: I've always had private insurance through great jobs).
I can easily say, "having private insurance in American, frankly, its not that good."
Proposals I've previously heard: Medicare for All, Medicare for Children, Medicare reduced age, a public-private option, improved transparency in costs (i.e. a menu), pin costs to Medicare + X%, allow insurance companies to operate across state lines, better subsidize preventative medicine, force clinicians to be able to speak to costs (similar to dentists/chiropractic/optometrists/dermatologist), reduce patent length or add a maximum return on investment to patents (e.g. 10x or 100x R&D costs?), etc.
Literally any of these would be an improvement. Please tell all of your representatives (regardless of politics) to fucking execute on any of them so things improve at least a bit from where it is now.
> This is particularly the case among adults ages 75 and older: Just 32% say marijuana should be legal for recreational and medical use, by far the lowest share for any age category and 21 percentage points lower than adults in the next-oldest age group
Sadly most elected officials fall in these age groups.
Legalizing weed at the Federal level will be a huge win even in states that have already done so. The industry has a very hard time dealing with banking, credit card payments, advertising etc. right now.
If you use marijuana, you either need to lie on the form required to buy a gun, or the gun store won't sell it to you. Also, in theory, if you have a gun and use marijuana, you are a prohibited person in possession of a gun, which is a serious crime.
It bothers me that this needs to be done piecemeal, substance by substance.
Our bodies are our own to build - they are own to destroy (or alter, or any other damn thing). The whole point of the war on drugs was to imprison minorities. The whole concept of drug prohibition should be done away with.
Millions of people are sitting in prison in the US simply because they did something entirely consensual and nonviolent, engaging in a willing transaction with an adult, and victimized no one.
The idea that you can't put whatever you want into your own body is diametrically opposed to the desire for personal liberty for which the US is known.
They could be our own to destroy if that didn't impact people around you. It's the same with DUI - causing a crash doesn't only destroy your life. Or getting addicted to the point you can't care for your children.
Agree. Some drugs like meth, heroin, fentanyl, PCP can cause permanent brain damage at common recreational doses and hurt society overall. Those shouldn't be legal IMO
I’m fairly convinced we’re only about 5-10 acquisitions away from cannabis becoming legal via the legislative branch.
There’s 3 larges sectors that are still holdouts. Healthcare, alcohol, and tobacco industries.
Healthcare will never flip because there’s almost no revenue for them. The only thing they might be able to do is partner with Bayer and license/patent specific strains.
Tobacco exists because it’s addictive. CBD and hemp already offer sedative natural alternatives that are healthier and safer for the consumer. If you find anybody taking Wellbutrin or any drug that can cessate the nicotine withdrawal, they can easily kick the habit via cold turkey, or substitution.
Finally the last big industry is alcohol. I could talk about this pivot for hours but ultimately, look at what AB/InBev is doing. What have they poured millions of r&d into lately? Seltzer drinks. Edibles are expected to be the largest growth segment of the legal cannabis industry for the next 10 years. I already see it in various circles. Seltzer drinks are easily the next step for the alcohol industry. The issue now is how are these cards going to fall. Will they try to pace their way and drop tons of r&d into the legalization/testing efforts or will they try to leverage all of the existing infrastructure that exists in the legal cannabis industry?
That’s why I think we’re only about 5-10 acquisitions away from finding the answer. And once we have the answer, legalization will easily fall afterward.
Edit to add: Biden is doing a great job but this wasn’t one of his bullet points. He might have a difference of opinion. He might pursue something at the federal level. But I’m not counting on it. I fully believe that if these acquisitions happen before 2022 we’ll see it on ballots.
The biggest change I noticed with respect to legalization is that it used to be the case that you couldn't walk around the streets of downtown Seattle without being offered weed by street vendors, and sometimes other drugs. After legalization and marijuana stores the street vendors (at least those I encountered) basically disappeared.
If you can't effectively prohibit something you probably shouldn't try. Otherwise you're wasting resources and eroding goodwill towards law enforcement which will be involved in fighting something that people really want to do.
It implies that it would be difficult for legalization to make the situation worse if you already have no control of it. And as noted: legalization improved the situation substantially.
I don't think anyone has been able to conclusively say that marijuana legalization actually increases the percentage of smokers in any state where it has been implemented.
I really don't care about the increase. I care about disproving / proving DUI in court. Without a valid blood test / breath test and some standards, its going to be a rough go.
As to if high people are bad drivers, then yes they are. I don't even know how that's a debate. What constitutes high is the real debate.
There have been a few studies out of CO that I can't find at the moment. The gist is that it's less safe than being sober, but a bit more safe than driving drunk. Unfortunately, the real finding is that combining the two is a lot less safe than either on their own and that a lot of drivers are choosing to cross-fade.
I come to it from the view of prohibition being a known source of power for cartels. I suspect if the various prohibitions were relaxed enough (and safely) that cartels would lose a lot power. Could see less immigrants fleeing cartel violence?
But I fear legalization too. I fear people taking it too far and forcing a backlash and a new prohibition.
What even is taking marijuana "too far"? It has been legal for >66% of the country in some form for many years now, and society has not descended into chaos.
Sure but organized crime runs on profit margins, and study after study has shown that by and large organized crime can't fund itself without the profits from drug running.
Nothing else is as lucrative, and most secondary markets they get involved in tend to be to supply things the criminals want - i.e. guns and sex trafficking.
There is a bizarre trend in these conversations to make a defeatist argument along the lines of "the cartels can never be stopped" that doesn't seem to line up with any of the actual evidence.
For example, gun running into the US just isn't a thing - gun smuggling is what organized crime takes out of the US - but the money needs to be USD to pay for it, and ultimately Mexico just doesn't have a lot of that without drugs.
Even in California, the cartel is still active in the grey market. As long as the legal option remains dramatically more expensive than grey market, and how couldn't it with sometimes a >30% tax rate, there will be a grey market.
Readit News
https://morningconsult.com/2021/03/24/medicare-for-all-publi...
Health care in the US is an increasingly brutal, over the top expensive mess.
Frankly, a quick look at why they want a public option is exactly why they would easily support Medicare for All.
Nobody loves their health care insurance company. And where they may be stoic to positive, it is only because they are insulated from the mess, or just have not actually had to receive significant care of any kind.
Tons of people, myself included, have seen serious financial ruin, and in my case it boiled down to basically trading my home and financial future for my spouse.
We got past it, but will never see the future I worked very hard for.
Health insurance companies do not actually add any value. Most of the developed world understands this, and how a market approach for primary care conflicts with fixing sick people.
Right now the priority is making money, not fixing people, and it shows.
More people experience it, or know someone who has every day. I make damn sure to educate others any time, any day, any place.
Once people actually experience Medicare, they love it. I have watched even the most staunch advocates for our current system age in and then change their tune.
There are exceptions, and those people buy Medicare Advantage plans and often seek help getting back to plain old Medicare, which is very difficult, by design. Ever wonder why that is?
Medicare is a system by which (currently, a subset) of Americans may select[0] either publicly subsidized private health plans or a purely-public[1] option.
The difference between this and the ACA plus a public option is...not that much.
[0] well, except for many Medicare/Medicaid dual-eligibles, for which a single plan (often fully-publicly-subsized private) covering both programs is selected for them by their state.
[1] actually administered by regional private contractors under federal rules.
and 70 percent support a public option. 55% is a majority.
Deleted Comment
Legalizing weed doesn't get into anyone's pocket.
And make no mistake: there are some big names in the battle agains marijuana [1]
[1] - https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2016/oct/22...
1.8 million voters over the age of 55 age out every year, and election cycles are every two years. We’ll get there eventually (on Medicare for All and marijuana legalization), it’s just a matter of time. Until then, keep knocking it out at the state level. [2]
[1] https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/democracy/reports/20...
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legality_of_cannabis_by_U.S._j...
The Democrats have a majority now and did in 2010. They haven’t even attempted to pass marijuana legalization. I have my theories as to why but they certainly have nothing to do with gerrymandering.
The Senate is split 50-50. It's fair to say one half of that is more strongly opposed to it than the other since their states even rejected the Medicaid expansion accompanying Obamacare.
So it sounds like the Senate is doing a poor job of representing the people. Which leads to the obvious question: why have a Senate at all?
Could not figure out what DPC is, besides that it's a new innovative way of patients and doctors working together for their mutual benefit with no obvious drawbacks.
TLDR Medicare > Tricare (DoD) > private employer healthcare > nothing
I can easily say, "having private insurance in American, frankly, its not that good."
Proposals I've previously heard: Medicare for All, Medicare for Children, Medicare reduced age, a public-private option, improved transparency in costs (i.e. a menu), pin costs to Medicare + X%, allow insurance companies to operate across state lines, better subsidize preventative medicine, force clinicians to be able to speak to costs (similar to dentists/chiropractic/optometrists/dermatologist), reduce patent length or add a maximum return on investment to patents (e.g. 10x or 100x R&D costs?), etc.
Literally any of these would be an improvement. Please tell all of your representatives (regardless of politics) to fucking execute on any of them so things improve at least a bit from where it is now.
Sadly most elected officials fall in these age groups.
Legalizing weed at the Federal level will be a huge win even in states that have already done so. The industry has a very hard time dealing with banking, credit card payments, advertising etc. right now.
[0] https://guides.loc.gov/116th-congress-book-list
Joe Biden (President) - 78
Nancy Pelosi (Speaker of the House) - 81
Steny Hoyer (House Majority Leader) - 81
Jim Clyburn (House Majority Whip) - 80
Chuck Schumer (Senate Majority Leader) - 70
Mitch McConnell (Senate Minority Leader) - 79
Patrick Leahy (President pro tempore) - 81
Dick Durbin (Senate Majority Whip) - 76
Most committee chairs/ranking members are 70+
These are the people running the country. A 30 year old first term congresswoman has next to zero influence in matters like this one.
Our bodies are our own to build - they are own to destroy (or alter, or any other damn thing). The whole point of the war on drugs was to imprison minorities. The whole concept of drug prohibition should be done away with.
Millions of people are sitting in prison in the US simply because they did something entirely consensual and nonviolent, engaging in a willing transaction with an adult, and victimized no one.
The idea that you can't put whatever you want into your own body is diametrically opposed to the desire for personal liberty for which the US is known.
Drunk driving is illegal; alcohol possession and sale is not, nor should it be.
Child abuse and neglect is already illegal, regardless of drug laws.
Deleted Comment
There’s 3 larges sectors that are still holdouts. Healthcare, alcohol, and tobacco industries.
Healthcare will never flip because there’s almost no revenue for them. The only thing they might be able to do is partner with Bayer and license/patent specific strains.
Tobacco exists because it’s addictive. CBD and hemp already offer sedative natural alternatives that are healthier and safer for the consumer. If you find anybody taking Wellbutrin or any drug that can cessate the nicotine withdrawal, they can easily kick the habit via cold turkey, or substitution.
Finally the last big industry is alcohol. I could talk about this pivot for hours but ultimately, look at what AB/InBev is doing. What have they poured millions of r&d into lately? Seltzer drinks. Edibles are expected to be the largest growth segment of the legal cannabis industry for the next 10 years. I already see it in various circles. Seltzer drinks are easily the next step for the alcohol industry. The issue now is how are these cards going to fall. Will they try to pace their way and drop tons of r&d into the legalization/testing efforts or will they try to leverage all of the existing infrastructure that exists in the legal cannabis industry?
That’s why I think we’re only about 5-10 acquisitions away from finding the answer. And once we have the answer, legalization will easily fall afterward.
Edit to add: Biden is doing a great job but this wasn’t one of his bullet points. He might have a difference of opinion. He might pursue something at the federal level. But I’m not counting on it. I fully believe that if these acquisitions happen before 2022 we’ll see it on ballots.
As to if high people are bad drivers, then yes they are. I don't even know how that's a debate. What constitutes high is the real debate.
But I fear legalization too. I fear people taking it too far and forcing a backlash and a new prohibition.
Nothing else is as lucrative, and most secondary markets they get involved in tend to be to supply things the criminals want - i.e. guns and sex trafficking.
There is a bizarre trend in these conversations to make a defeatist argument along the lines of "the cartels can never be stopped" that doesn't seem to line up with any of the actual evidence.
For example, gun running into the US just isn't a thing - gun smuggling is what organized crime takes out of the US - but the money needs to be USD to pay for it, and ultimately Mexico just doesn't have a lot of that without drugs.