ABC's debate moderators don't understand what universal healthcare is

[bluewater]

Corporate news media has turned universal health care into a wedge issue to protect their Big Pharma paymasters

Omitted entirely from Thursday's Democratic Presidential debate segment on the American healthcare system was any real discussion of how sick and inhumane of a system it really is, and what a high price we pay for it — not merely in terms of exorbitant costs, but in the preventable pain and suffering of millions.

For a while now, the corporate news media, whose profits are increasingly reliant on ad revenue from the predatory pharmaceutical industry, have done their best as debate moderators to frighten Americans into believing that the universal health care model proposed by Senator Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren is a threat to them and all they hold dear.

In the last debate, ABC News’ George Stephanopoulus set up former Vice President Joe Biden nicely to slam this “menace” from the left by framing the health care question on what Americans stood to lose with the boogie monster of radical reform.
“Both Senators Warren and Sanders want to replace Obamacare with Medicare for All,” he said. “You want to build on Obamacare, not scrap it. They propose spending far more than you to combat climate change and tackle student loan debt. And they would raise more in taxes than you to pay for their programs.”
He continued the softball windup: “Are Senators Warren and Sanders pushing too far beyond where Democrats want to go and where the country needs to go?”

Stephanopoulos played Biden’s wing man, by reducing the terms of the health care debate to money, raising the specter of tax hikes — playing into a strategy the right often uses to ward off social welfare programs.
[snip]

There was absolutely no reference to what Americans are actually getting, or not getting, for the $3.5 trillion we spend annually (which comes out to $10,739 per capita).
What a different course the debate might have wound had Stephanopoulus opened by asking the candidates to comment on how American life expectancy has declined over the last three years — something that has not happened since World War I.

What does that say about the American health care system?

https://www.salon.com/2019/09/14/abcs-debate-moderators-dont-understand-what-universal-healthcare-is/

[pangaia]

1. stephaflopolous is a sham, a paid stooge, and Kamala called him out on his smallness

and he KNEW it !!

[elleng]

2. NO ONE does, foolish to try to discuss it in such fora, imo,

but otherwise, those moderators did better than most.

[ananda]

3. They have chosen not to even try to understand.

They are rich and corporate.

[squirecam]

4. I disagree

It’s labeled as medicare for all, even though it’s not going to be Medicare at all.

You cannot complain if the title of the bill is misleading itself.

And taxes will go up for some Americans. You cannot get around that.

[Eyeball_Kid]

6. While "taxes" might go up,

they will be more than offset by significant decreases in health care costs.

[cannabis_flower]

7. Taxes should go up for some Americans.

And taxes should go down for some people too.

[SCVDem]

5. Son! This is shit, and this, is Shinola!

I find the voters really do not have a clue on damn near anything.

How many conversations have you had with KGOPers about healthcare, immigration, social programs or government in general, and it quickly dawns on you that this person is dumb as a stump?

These are the people who do not evacuate from a fire or hurricane and then need to be rescued only to say, "I didn't think it would be so bad!"

They think this economy rise is due to dump, ignoring all the problems his policies are about to unleash.

Debates are useless unless the viewer has a basic understanding of the topic. Book Learning, not teevee.

[lambchopp59]

13. The country would be in exponentially better shape if long ago had been instigated

A minimum I.Q. requirement to vote.

[SCVDem]

16. That is why

We have the Electoral College.

[DallasNE]

8. Starting Out By Talking About Money

Is the top down approach Republicans corporate media always apply to any problem. It is a dead end argument.

That needs to be replaced with a bottoms up approach and that means you start out by talking about outcomes. Reversing the trend on life expectancy would be an outcome.

This is called keeping the eye on the ball and not getting sucked into the Republican framing. Reframe the question to address outcomes if that is necessary.

[LiberalLovinLug]

12. Well said!

[HiloHatti]

15. And The Corporate Stooges Always Leave Out Employers Contributions

That will be eliminated, along with workers’ payroll deductions for healthcare. That will offset any increase in taxes to cover every American. They just focus on “how are you going to pay for the $32 Trillion” phony argument.

[Uncle Joe]

9. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread bluewater.

[Garrett78]

10. Short-term investment for long-term gain is an almost impossible sell.

Neither the media nor the average voter tends to grasp or appreciate the fact that an initial large investment in health care or drug rehabilitation or public education or alternative energy would save trillions more in the long run.

That said, it's a mistake to promote doing away with private insurance. Eventually, yes, but not now. There needs to be a public option first.

[reACTIONary]

11. Big Pharma paymasters...

What is the reliance of the "corporate news media" on "Big Pharma paymasters"? Lets do the numbers....

Media advertising spending in the United States 240.68 B$
Pharmaceutical direct to consumer advertising 2.63 B$

Percentage is 1.1%

Not much of a paymaster.

[George II]

14. Not many people do understand what "universal healthcare" is...

Too many confuse healthcare coverage (i.e., insurance) and healthcare itself (i.e. treatment and procedures) They are two completely different things.

Just because there might be a "Medicare for All" or some other universal insurance coverage plan, that doesn't necessarily mean that 100% of healthcare will be paid for. If it is, where does that money come from?