Medicare For All Explained

How Tragedy Created a Single-Payer Advocate

This is episode 68, “How Tragedy Created a Single-Payer Advocate.”

My guest, Scott Desnoyers, became a supporter and advocate for single-payer health care after tragedy struck his family, and his story provides a powerful lesson on why we need Medicare for All. 

Do not miss this episode as Mr. Desnoyers explains how tragedy caused him to become an advocate for Medicare for All.

Note:
As near as I can tell, the numbers from two reports may have been conflated. A Yale study published in February 2020 stated that 68,000 lives would be saved by Medicare for All. Here is the link: https://www.thelancet.com/article/S0140-6736(19)33019-3/fulltext. 

That study also said, "We also project that the Medicare for All Act would save more than 68 500 (68,000) lives every year, compared with the status quo. If the Affordable Care Act were to be repealed, we would expect an additional annual loss of more than 38 500 (38,500) lives. Compared with health-care access before the Affordable Care Act, the legislation proposed by Senator Sanders, would save 107 000 (107,000) lives annually." I think that is where the 100,000 figure came from. 

As for 26,000 dying from lack of insurance, I think that figure came from a Families-USA study from June 2012. Here is the link: https://familiesusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Dying-for-Coverage.pdf. That study said, "Across the nation, 26,100 people between the ages of 25 and 64 died prematurely due to a lack of health coverage in 2010.

 

Why We Need Universal Continuous Healthcare From Birth

This is episode 67, "Why We Need Universal Continuous Healthcare From Birth."

My guest, Judith Albert, MD, is a retired physician in Pittsburgh, PA. She received her medical degree from the University of Cincinnati, completed residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Pittsburgh and a fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology at the University of Pennsylvania.  She practiced in academic and private practice settings for over 30 years in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

Dr. Albert joined Physicians for a National Health Program in 2016 and has been active in her local chapter.  She was elected to the national board of directors in August of 2021.  

Do not miss this episode as Dr. Albert explains why we need a universal continuous healthcare system in the United States. 

 

Our Insidious and Nefarious Healthcare System

This is episode 66, “Our Insidious and Nefarious Healthcare System.”

My guest, Scott Goldberg, MD, is an assistant professor in General Internal Medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and an attending primary care physician at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, where he sees patients and teaches residents in the Primary Care/Social Internal Medicine program. 

Dr. Goldberg has worked closely with Physicians for a National Health Program since starting medical school. He started a student chapter at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine and became a student delegate to PNHP’s Board of Directors from 2013-2016. From 2016-2019, he was a member of PNHP's executive committee and Board of Directors. He was reelected to the Board in 2021. 

Do not miss this episode and Dr. Goldberg describes why he supports Medicare for All and our insidious and nefarious healthcare system. 

 

Our Healthcare Mess and Why We Need Medicare for All

This is episode 65, "Our Healthcare Mess and Why We Need Medicare for All."

In this episode, I describe some of the current problems with the United States healthcare system, what is Medicare for All, and how Medicare for All can solve those problems.

This episode is a good primer on problems with the U.S. healthcare system and why we need Medicare for All. It should not be missed.

Also please note that there will be no podcast on October 15, 2021. Medicare for All Explained will resume on November 1, 2021.

Highlights, Volume 2

This is episode 64, "Highlights, Volume 2."

In this episode, I take clips that highlight important points about Medicare for All. 

I highlight: 

• Why single-payer healthcare was a revelation for Stephanie Nakajima.
• How fire departments provide a good example of why we need public funding for healthcare. Dr. George Bohmfalk describes how fire departments came about and how that relates to health care and Medicare for All.
• How the experience of Jean Ross, president of National Nurses United, led her to support Medicare for All. 

Do not miss this episode as I highlight these important points about Medicare for All. 

The podcasts referenced in this episode are:

• Episode 15: A Revelation
• Episode 7: Putting Out the Fire With Medicare for All
• Episode 12: When You’ve Got a For-Profit System, True Care Goes Out the Window

 

 

Entrepreneurs and Medicare For All

This is episode 63, “Entrepreneurs and Medicare For All."

My guest, Prof. Jerome Katz, is an internationally recognized expert on entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship education. He currently is the Director of Saint Louis University’s highly ranked entrepreneurship program.

From a background in his family’s and his own business in Memphis, Prof. Katz went onto obtain degrees from Rhodes College, the University of Memphis, and Harvard, culminating in a PhD from Michigan. He has been quoted in more than 200 articles in the major magazines in business and entrepreneurship, as well as the major American newspapers, and has had a lifelong interest in developing peoples’ potential. 

Do not miss this episode as Prof. Katz examines how entrepreneurs and the small business community are reacting to Medicare for All. 

Women’s Health and Reproductive Justice

This is episode 62, “Women’s Health and Reproductive Justice.”

My guest, Dr. Ashley Duhon, is a current second year Ob/Gyn resident working in the Bronx borough of New York City. She received her medical training from the Louisiana State University School of Medicine in New Orleans. She is a current board member of the New York Metro Chapter of Physicians for a National Health Program. 

As a student, she served on the Students for a National Health Program National Board. She is an avid advocate for Medicare for All and is particularly dedicated to the inclusion of full-spectrum reproductive healthcare services in the fight towards a universal and equitable healthcare system for all.

Do not miss this episode as Dr. Duhon explains how reproductive justice relates to women’s health. 

Note: SisterSong is the organization that originally created and defined the term “Reproductive Justice.”

To Be or Not to Be Health Insurance, That Is the Tricare Question

This is episode 61, “To Be or Not to Be Health Insurance, That Is the Tricare Question.”

My guest Miryam Weisberg is a mother of two and lives in the suburbs of Washington, DC. Disabled by a rare genetic disorder, her health relies on Tricare and the military medical system, to which she has access as an earned benefit of her husband's career as an active duty officer.  Previous to becoming disabled, Miryam had a career as a technical writer and now enjoys homeschooling her children and doing needlecrafts. 

Do not miss this episode as Mrs. Weisberg describes her struggles to get medical treatment for her genetic disorder, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, under Tricare. 

 

Highlights, Volume 1

This is episode 60, "Highlights, Volume 1."

In this episode, I take clips that highlight important points about Medicare for All.

I highlight:

• What Medicare for All is
• Why the public option won't work
• Why our current healthcare system is not affordable
• Why you can't be sure that insurance clerks are giving you accurate information
• How insurance companies arbitrarily make patients change medications
• How Medicare for All helps prevent the spread of disease and protects public health   

Do not miss this episode as I highlight these important points about Medicare for All. 

The podcasts referenced in this episode are:

• Episode 1: Medicare For All, An Overview 
• Episode 3: The Manual
• Episode 5: Peace of Mind
• Episode 8: The Economics of Health Care, Part 1: The Problem – Our Current Health Care System Is Unaffordable - I also recommend listening to Episode 9: The Economics of Health Care, Part 2: The Solution – Medicare for All after hearing  Episode 8.
• Episode 23: The Average Family Is Going to Get Much More and Pay Much Less

 

Medicaid Expansion, Missouri, and the Will of the People

This is episode 59, “Medicaid Expansion, Missouri, and the Will of the People.” 

My guest, Traci Gleason, is Vice President, External Relations for the Missouri Budget Project. Before joining the Missouri Budget Project, she worked on public policy issues at all levels of government, federal, state, and local. Ms. Gleason also worked as a federal representative for the State of California, held positions with the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, and worked for the City of Kansas City, Missouri.

Ms. Gleason earned a Master of Public Policy from the University of California-Berkeley and Bachelor’s Degrees in Psychology and Mathematics from Creighton University.

Do not miss this episode as Ms. Gleason explains how Medicaid Expansion would help Missourians and would save the state money.