Sanders presidential campaign pivots health scare to Medicare for All message

[Uncle Joe]

(snip)

Sanders’ speechwriter, David Sirota, said in a daily newsletter that the unexpected medical procedure was “a perfect example of why the United States needs to join the rest of the world and pass Bernie’s Medicare for All legislation.”

Sirota cited a 2018 paper by researchers at the London School of Economics that found cardiac implant devices cost up to six times more in the United States than in some European countries with government-run healthcare systems.

(snip)

Sirota argued the gulf in price was in part due to the U.S. healthcare system’s “complex web of payers - rather than a single-payer Medicare for All system that can negotiate better prices.”

As many as 1 million Americans a year get stents, a procedure that involves inserting a balloon-tipped catheter to open blockage and deploy tiny wire-mesh tubes to prop open the artery.

(snip)

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-sanders-medicare/sanders-presidential-campaign-pivots-health-scare-to-medicare-for-all-message-idUSKBN1WH2DC

[TidalWave46]

1. Sirota should be shunned by progressives at every single turn. NT

[Mr.Bill]

2. Actually wouldn't it be a "perfect example"

of why we should all have the same health insurance as Congress does?

[Uncle Joe]

4. Medicare for All is better

than what they have.

[George II]

6. But that coverage exists, "medicare for all" doesn't.

[Uncle Joe]

9. Not yet.

[Doremus]

40. Medicare itself at one time didn't exist either. Thank goodness Congress had the guts to create it.

[Mr.Bill]

10. Do you have medicare?

My wife and I do, and with a supplemental policy it's costing us about $650 a month, and there are things it doesn't cover.

[Uncle Joe]

11. I said "Medicare for All" is better.

No premiums, co-pays, deductibles and no need for supplemental policies unless you want to have elective cosmetic surgery.

[Mr.Bill]

12. Then they would be wise

to stop using the word "Medicare" to describe it. Because Medicare is quite different than what you just described.

[sheshe2]

14. Thank you Mr.Bill.

[questionseverything]

15. how about the STOP SUBSIDIZING MILLIONAIRES PRETENDING TO BE HEALTHCARE INSURANCE EXECUTIVES

WHEN YOU ARE YOUNG AND FAIRLY HEALTHY AND THEN EXPECTING THE GOVERMENT TO PAY FOR EVERYTHING WHEN YOU ARE OLD AND NEED EVERYTHING?

lol

I just can't figure out a sound bite for it

[Uncle Joe]

16. Medicare and Medicare for All do have one critical thing in common,

that being universality, the former for anyone over 65 and the latter to anyone.

[littlemissmartypants]

13. Not like my Medicare. Interesting. But an inaccurate description

as it stands now. Whatever health care he has I hope it meets his needs. No one likes to be blindsided by a medical emergency and cardiovascular disease can be insidious. I wish him the best.

[greatauntoftriplets]

28. What gets me is when the prescription insurance doesn't cover because it's an "off-label" use.

I've had that happen with Medicare four times in four years. And, of course, they're all for prescriptions that cost the earth. The moral of the story is to never get an exotic disease because it's going to cost you a lot.

Just yesterday, I was at CVS to pick up a prescription. The woman ahead of me in line was told that Medicare had denied a prescription that would cost her $177 a month. I felt badly for her.

[Mr.Bill]

31. My wife is taking a drug for severe arthritis pain that

she has to inject once a week. It works exceptionally well. When we first ordered it they told us the copay was $3,500.00. That's for a one month supply. For now, my wife enrolled in a program with the manufacturer and was accepted to get it for free. My wife is good at finding these deals, but that is because she is a retired RN who worked her last five years as a case manager. I wonder how many lay people would have had the ability to find and get this deal. You shouldn't have to be a medical professional to have the system work for you.

Now this drug is not a matter of life and death, but it is a matter of severe pain or opioid dependence. Those are the other two options, and now the opioids can't be continued for a long term thanks to doctors, Pharm companies and patients who abuse the system.

We don't know how long we can continue to get it free, or if and when Medicare will cover it with a reasonable copay.

[greatauntoftriplets]

32. I was in a program like that for a very costly infusion medication for a time.

Now I'm getting it from another source where I'm supposed to just pay the co-pay, which is about $1,500. It's an infusion that I get every eight weeks, but that's still a lot of money. Haven't been billed for it yet after the better part of a year, so I'm dreading the day of reckoning.

Your wife sounds very talented in finding these sources, but her background makes her a natural for it. In my case, one of my doctors has arranged it. Actually, it's one of his medical assistants, but he has been involved. I'm very grateful to them for the work they've done to find me a cure.

But you're correct, you shouldn't be a medical professional to handle these things.

[George II]

3. While all of BS' opponents and many of their supporters have expressed their wishes....

....for a quick and complete recovery, Sirota is using this for a campaign opportunity. Unbelievable.

[sheshe2]

5. Looks like it.

[NurseJackie]

7. Tacky.

[Uncle Joe]

8. Prayers and wishes are great but

this happens everyday to countless Americans, the issue of health care hasn't stopped just because Bernie had a couple of stents put in.

Over 1.8 Million Stents Implanted per Year in the U.S.

https://idataresearch.com/over-1-8-million-stents-implanted-per-year-in-the-u-s/

[ehrnst]

19. Millions aren't running for the office of POTUS.

I mean, it's not nearly as much a deal breaker for POTUS as walking pneumonia, but still...

[Uncle Joe]

22. Yes they are,

"not me us."

[ehrnst]

23. Actually, no. Millions aren't running for, nor are qualified to be POTUS.

Let alone those who are getting major heart surgery.

It's him with the ambition for the Oval Office, not "us."

Expecting people to confuse any one person - be it politician, televangelist, radio personality etc, with "us" is problematic on many levels.

‘RUSH IS US. AND WE ARE HIM’…. Yesterday, a team of investors bidding to purchase the St. Louis Rams NFL franchise parted ways with radio host Rush Limbaugh. The right-wing personality’s involvement had drawn fire from the NFL players’ union, which objected to Limbaugh’s history of racism. In a statement, the investors’ group said Limbaugh’s’ involvement had become “a complication and a distraction to our intentions.”

This caused quite a bit of frustration in conservative circles where Limbaugh was characterized as a victim. Perhaps the most amusing was this heartfelt RedState item, which argued, in apparent sincerity, “Tonight, Rush is us. And we are him.”

https://washingtonmonthly.com/2009/10/15/rush-is-us-and-we-are-him/

[George II]

25. How many are 78 years old?

[OilemFirchen]

17. Pandering.

Shocking!

Disqualifying.

[ehrnst]

18. Yep. Meanwhile, the campaign has cancelled Iowa ad buys.

From someone who has put ad buys above staffing in the past, it doesn't bode well.

Link to tweet

[BlueMississippi]

20. It is disgusting

At least let a few days go by and let BS recover a bit. This is like selling fire insurance right after the neighborhood burns down thinking that would be the most opportune moment to make money.

[customerserviceguy]

24. Squeezing the lemon

to make lemonade?

This story comes down to Sen. Sanders looking too old to be president. Another lucky break for Sen. Warren, it seems.

[TexasTowelie]

26. A lucky break for all of the younger candidates.

It serves as a reminder that most people retire before they are 70 years of age. While the event may affect Bernie's polling numbers, this really can't be considered to be an opportunity for either Biden or Warren.

[Lordquinton]

29. So tacky

It's like if someone exploited their dead son for their campaign.

[floppyboo]

33. George, I know, right? Like all those Sandy Hook parents and Parkland kids

going for gun control? Unbelievable!

[George II]

36. Within hours of their children getting murdered? I don't think so.

[floppyboo]

37. straw splitting

[George II]

38. I can't believe someone would compare BS' health issue with the mass murder of 20 children.

Well, maybe I can believe it.

[floppyboo]

39. Wasn't comparing that. Was talking about using issues in a time sensitive manners.

Nice try though.
meh
edit: like, channelling LaPierre? Not time to talk about issues? Just thoughts and prayers? The media doesn't wait 2 hours. At least not the responsible media.

[PhoenixDem]

21. It is like selling Hyundais when someone has an accident in a Rolls Royce

The Senate health plan is way better than MFA which is not even on the drawing board.

Look at how much it costs to insure congress, get an average and multiply it by the US population. It is a multiple of 81.9 folds and there isn't enough money to fund it.

[Snackshack]

27. It is a good example to use.

After being the care giver to my mother who passed in 2004 (Cancer), my grandmother who passed in 2015 (MRSA) and my father who passed in 2017 (Diabetes/Stroke) I am very familiar with the absurdity of our current highly overpriced healthcare (coverage plans, referrals, co-pays, deductibles, in network/out of network etc etc etc.) system.

There is no reason (except for insurers quarterly profit statement) that the rest of the citizenry should not have medical coverage equal to elected congressional members. Certainly between the money we hand out to other countries around the globe and what we spend on defense this could be achieved.

[BeckyDem]

30. You just get better, Bernie. Then you and Elizabeth can both get us

Medicare for All.

[LanternWaste]

34. Sirota is efficiently and effectively exploiting Sanders' health problems.

I imagine it may work on a handful of people.

[Uncle Joe]

35. Do you believe Bernie wouldn't approve?

Thanks for all the well wishes.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/1287297935