Category: Blog

Is health care a right? or a privilege?

First and foremost, happy new year! We hope you’re enjoying the new year and are staying safe and sound amidst the rise in COVID cases – many of these are being driven up by the Omicron variant.

Actually, as kind of a sidebar before we continue with this post – there is a now apparently a new variant found in France (it was actually found around the same time as Omicron)… but it’s just as contagious (supposedly). Experts don’t know whether or not it’s more fatal since it is a newer variant. Whatever the case, please be careful and get vaccinated if you can. We are all tired of this, so let’s just do whatever we can do come together and make this thing less deadly. K, thanks.

Onward we go with this blog post!

Today’s actual content

Since the holidays had just passed, many of us went home to see family (some didn’t feel comfortable enough to do that and that’s okay too). Part of our process for those who did travel included getting tested for the presence of COVID. Luckily, none of us at MeddleAmerica tested positive for COVID – but, this got us thinking as to what the hell “normal” is anymore.

America’s New Normal

There was a scarcity in tests; community centers saw long lines; some didn’t even have people to answer the phones to make the appointments. The at-home tests are fine, but the verdict is still out on whether or not they’re even reliable – and in any case, getting an at-home test required that you called in to an institution to even do the test. If you didn’t call in, the test was invalid. You can’t even order a new one without sending the invalid one back. It’s a whole mess. Luckily, at home tests will become more widely available soon thanks to Mara Liasson for asking the tough questions and actually holding public officials accountable.

Anyway, is America doomed to have this be the new normal? Variant after variant and the pandemic just never ends? We’ll see about that — but honestly, this begs the question… what the hell happened? How did we even get to this point? What was the “normal” in America that led to the “normal” that is now?

Defining America’s “Normal” As It Has Been

If we’re being honest and not living a revisionist history, America’s “normal” consisted of crippling medical debt. Unlike other first world countries, America does not have health care for its citizens. Check out the video below for some reactions non-Americans had when given an estimate for standard costs here in the US. (It may make you laugh-cry.)

Consequences

Unfortunately, this current system leads to stories like these:

Coronavirus patients face significant direct costs: the money pulled out of savings and retirement accounts to pay doctors and hospitals. Many are also struggling with indirect costs, like the hours spent calling providers and insurers to sort out what is actually owed, and the mental strain of worrying about how to pay.

Author articled by Sarah Kliff

Flor, 70, who came so close to death in the spring that a night-shift nurse held a phone to his ear while his wife and kids said their final goodbyes, is recovering nicely these days at his home in West Seattle. But he says his heart almost failed a second time when he got the bill from his health care odyssey the other day.

Author articled by Danny Westneat

Casey Gray, a 29-year-old, is a perfect example. He was hospitalized with COVID-19 for 75 days in Florida, half of which he spent in a coma. As he slowly recovered – and in anticipation of huge medical bills – Casey, a youth minister, and his wife Savannah, a teacher, sold one of their cars to prepare for the debt.

Article authored by Keri Enriquez

In fact, most people are fearful about needing health intervention:

In general, approximately 50% of Americans now carry medical debt. The percentage of adults in America who were concerned or extremely concerned generally went up from 2019 to 2020 in almost all polled age groups.

Having insurance isn’t conducive to getting care

Even with insurance, a majority of people still need to pay for additional costs of health care.

Premiums, Deductibles, and Co-pays – oh my!

In addition to paying the premiums to even have access to insurance, people need to pay for the deductibles and co-pays. An additional layer to think about is whether an institution providing the care is even in-network. This factor can also influence what the end bill looks like. Here are some statistics to keep in mind:

  • According to eHealth’s recent study of ACA plans, in 2020 the national average health insurance premium for an ACA plan is $456 for an individual and $1,152 for a family. (This average cost does not include people who receive government subsidies.)
  • The annual change in premiums is similar to the year-to-year rise in workers’ earnings (3.4%) and inflation (2.1%), though over time what employers and workers pay toward premiums continues to rise more quickly than wages and inflation. (KFF Health Affairs, 2020)
  • Annual family premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance rose 4% to average $21,342 this year, according to the 2020 benchmark KFF Employer Health Benefits Survey. On average, workers this year are contributing $5,588 toward the cost of family coverage, with employers paying the rest.

More of a whole picture

As this article reaffirms, health care costs top the list of expenses that people report difficulty affording. (See the image below.) These shares are substantially higher than the shares who report difficulty affording other household expenses such as rent or mortgage, gasoline, monthly utilities, or food and groceries.

In addition to these costs, one-third report difficult paying for hearing or vision care (33%), while about one-quarter say the same about their prescription drugs (26%). Among the insured, about one-quarter (27%) say their monthly premium is difficult to afford. Those with lower incomes, Black and Hispanic adults are more likely to report difficulty affording some medical costs.

Two to tango

You may think to yourself: “X” Party was in power for a long time though – why is this the case?

Thanks, Obama

The title of this section is kind of a gotcha – because really, it takes more than one person/President to mess us up this badly. Plus, after decades of rising costs and stagnation, we cannot pinpoint it on one person.

However, America does this thing where we vote hard on party lines to “prevent things from being worse” when a President of the other party is elected. It’s really easy to hear that “it’s the Democrats’ fault” or “it’s the Republicans’ fault!” There’s honestly a lot of confirmation bias there.

The Affordable Care Act

However, we can of course we can give credit where it’s due. For example, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was helpful in that it expanded access to healthcare, but it also maintained the status quo to encourage competition among insurers and healthcare providers.

Fun fact – not everyone knows this, but the ACA was actually a compromise… on behalf of special interests and kind of on behalf of the people. Obamacare is so similar to Romneycare that Polifact has this interesting game where you can play “Is this Romneycare or Obamacare?” It’s as fun as it sounds but we do recommend you check it out.

Final Verdict

So given that the costs of healthcare is sky-high here in America, is it a right or a privilege?

I guess it depends on who you talk to.

Here at MeddleAmerica, we do believe that healthcare is a right. It allows one to live and affords (the key word here) them the pursuit of happiness. Not only that, it’s almost like a moral conundrum for us. The old adage of “a chain is only as strong as its weakest link” can be applied here.

Personally, if you (the reader) are hurting because you can’t afford your medical bills, we are hurting with you. We want you, your mother, father, children, friends, and everyone else to have care when they need it. Whether or not you can afford medical bills should never be on anyone’s mind. An iPhone is a privilege – health care simply is not.

What is Centrism?

For our first post ever, it’s only fitting to go over what centrism means. 

Honestly – what the hell does it mean? What does it mean when someone refers to “the center?” Depending on your mood, your mindset, and your surroundings, the center can mean different things to you. FYI, my mind goes to Oreo balls and the owl obsessed with counting the licks in a Tootsie Pop. What can I say? I’m simple.

However, this post won’t be talking about either of those things. When we refer to the “center” here at Meddle America, we are talking about “the center” of politics – and even that has its own definition.

Defining centrism

According to the dictionary (dictionary.com), centrism is “the adherence to moderate political views or policies; careful avoidance of any political position that could be construed as too far right or left.”

If you ask politician Joe Lieberman, he considers centrism a strategy. His theory is that politicians can “sit down and talk it through” instead of just pushing through legislation all willy-nilly. Ok, this is totally fair. The strategy itself is not an issue. Please refer to the chart below for what that would look like.

Centrism as a strategy, depicted by Meddle America (2021)

While this sounds good in theory, how is it in practice? Can politicians be trusted to “talk it through”? If we trust that Lieberman is making the argument in good faith, then the premise simply assumes the best of our elected officials. It implies that all politicians do is make decisions based on what’s best for the American people… with no outside influence other than the opinions of their colleagues who have the same goals, just different approaches to how they all get there. However, is this actually true? Do politicians prioritize the American people and what we need? 

The Reality of “Centrism” in Congress Today

As many of us know, the system is incredibly broken and lobbyists rule Congress. It is incredibly difficult to find a politician who rejects money from big corporations. Unfortunately, Congress accept a lot of money from the likes of fossil fuels, big pharma, etc. Big money corrupts the minds and thought-processes of our elected officials. It places lobbyists, corporations, and wealthy donors on the same playing field as regular people which can have dire consequences for the working class.

The fact of the matter is regular people just do not have the same access to politicians as wealthy people and corporations do. Wealthy donors and lobbied interests account for much of the funding in D.C. and because of this, they get a seat at the table and personal time with elected officials. Consequently, elected officials no longer only consider the people who elected them into office. Because money talks, they also have to consider the opinions and needs of their wealthy campaign contributors. 

Inevitably biting the hand that feeds you

This exchange of private donations by corporations places lawmakers in an awkward position. As you can imagine, you can’t bite the hand that feeds you. On one hand, you have the voters. They voted for you – they elected you into office to make everyday life better for them and their families. On the other hand, you have insane amounts of money pouring into your campaign from a few people. Those people just want to help you and help re-elect you. So who are you, as a politician, indebted to? The answer is pretty simple: both. 

The awkward part? When the ideologies of those groups are at odds with each other, you have to make a choice. For example, pharmaceutical companies wants to keep the price of prescription drugs high to make a profit; however, average people already cannot afford things like insulin. What do you do? Who should you represent? Can you take a centrist approach in this case? What is the “center?” More importantly, what is an acceptable center? 

Centrism – as it goes through the populist lens

As it relates to centrism, here are some “center” ideas – 

If we take (policy) ideas such as the above into consideration where a majority of the American people are on board… fighting for these policies would make you a centrist.

– Meddle America

Centrist Politics

A centrist is one who fights for the median option, the average, the most consented and agreed upon view. So, is a politician who fights against these popular ideas a centrist? We don’t think so. 

Coincidentally, these example policy ideas are actual provisions in a current bill making its way through Congress. We can bore you with the details; however, for the purposes of this blog post, we’ll just give a brief summary and discuss the ramifications of being opposed to supporting the bill.

Build Back Better

In short, H.R.5376 — 117th Congress (2021-2022) is better known as “The Build Back Better” bill. It is a framework that allocates spending power into social safety programs… AKA things that help average families like mine and yours. Provisions in the bill include an expansion of healthcare so that America can truly compete with our allies on a national stage when it comes to health outcomes. It also includes provisions to help strengthen American families and includes things like paid family leave. 

Again, we can go into each provision to share why it’s so important to have funding allocated to social safety programs such as the ones mentioned previously, but we won’t do that here for brevity.

Support for BBB as a “Centrist” in DC

The afore-mentioned provisions are incredibly popular, and they were what the House and Senate Democrats talked about to sell the bill. Initially, it was a proposed $10 Trillion over the course of 10 years. However, “moderate” or “centrist” Democrats, Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, refuse to back the bill citing spending costs.

It is worth noting that Manchin enjoys $400,000 of funding from fossil fuel industries just in the third quarter. For reference, he raised $1.6 million total, so that’s about 25% of his funding. Meanwhile, he opposes any policy that can substantially combat climate change. Sinema is also receiving the max contributions from the largest players in the pharmaceutical industry and refuses to speak to her constituents. It’s also worthwhile to note that she did this all while objecting to expanding healthcare and prescription drug price reforms.

When confronted about why they will not back the BBB, the two politicians (especially Sinema) avoid the topic and quite literally pretend the questioner doesn’t exist. 

With this background, we’d like to bring it back to our main discussion for this post: defining the center. 

Centrism – A Conclusion

As discussed previously, the center is wherever public perception is. One can easily find popular political ideology by simply conducting a Google Search. Any person with an internet connection can do it. As Mehdi Hassan pointed out, the center can move. However, this centrist perspective can serve as an asset to help lawmakers gauge the needs of those who they were elected to serve.

Politicians who support their constituents in guaranteeing their basic needs – those politicians are reflective of the true American center. Those politicians are helping us to achieve life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Those who oppose the country’s center stand in the way of that basic tenet that America’s Founding Fathers hoped for — and let’s be clear about this basic reality: politicians who oppose the majority are not the center. They are extremists.

Centrism as a strategy, in practice, depicted by Meddle America (2021). Example based off of the real-life 5000% insulin price hike in 2015.

Looking ahead

In totality, centrism can be viewed as a strategy as Lieberman says – this is fine. However, it depends on where we are setting our goalposts. If the two counterpoints aren’t that radical (read: different) and don’t reflect the needs of the populace, then that center will be skewed. We implore you to keep this school of thought in mind for posts to follow.