The United States health care system is a for-profit industry that makes money off the misery, pain, and illness of Americans. We spend more on health care than any other country on Earth but receive some of the worst quality of care compared to other wealthy countries.
As the profits of health insurance and pharmaceutical companies skyrocket, the average life expectancy of Americans has decreased. Compared to other wealthy countries, we’re the worst in infant mortality, unmanaged diabetes, and safety during childbirth. The three inventors of insulin deliberately sold the patent for $1 each to make it available to everyone. Still, in America, we pay more for this life-saving medication than in any other country.
In the most wealthy and powerful country on Earth, Americans are crippled with medical debt to the point where people owe at least $220 billion in medical debt with most of it owed by people with over $10,000 in debt.
With this brutal reality, is it that surprising that so many diverse Americans have united in either smug celebration or indifference to the news of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s targeted murder? The main suspect, Luigi Mangione, is even seen as a hero in some circles, and “Free Him” was trending on Twitter the day he was arrested.
Is there a better way forward?
Writer, activist, and attorney Qasim Rashid wrote a compelling piece for his excellent substack “Let’s Address This with Qasim Rashid” making the case for Universal Health Care in America. In his essay, he breaks down 5 persistent myths promoted by the establishment and corporate class on how universal health care is costly, ineffective, and untenable.
I invited him for this Chai Talk to make the case for universal health care and how it can reform and improve a predatory health care system that continues to profit off the collective misery and suffering of Americans.
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