Help Us Combat DCCC Spin Re: Healthcare For All
By Mike Fox for Dr. Bill, Donna, Mike H., Janis, Deb, Kimberly, Bryan, Dan, and Judy, your PDA national team.
Are You With The Majority That Wants Healthcare For All?
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is telling Dem Congressional candidates to stop talking about expanded and improved medicare for all. That a “poll” that they conducted suggests folks aren’t on board single payer.
This from our colleagues at Healthcare-Now:
“DCCC pollsters didn’t want to directly ask Democrats if they’d prefer a single payer healthcare system; they already know the answer to that. Instead they asked a question meant to justify their uninspiring position of tweaking the Affordable Care Act (emphasis in original): “If you could change one thing about your healthcare or health insurance, what would it be?”
“Naturally, a plurality of respondents said they’d choose lower premiums, deductibles, and other forms of cost-sharing (yet 12% still answered the open-ended question with “single payer healthcare”). The polling team concluded: “The American people overwhelmingly want Congress to improve the Affordable Care Act, not repeal it or replace it with something radically different. We need to offer reasonable solutions to improve the law instead of a massive overhaul.”
Dr. Bill Honigman — Co-chair of our Healthcare Is A Human Right Issue Organizing Team — responds with the following.
“This poll proves only one thing: if designed properly a poll can give any result desired by the pollster. And what does the DCCC want? You tell me. Here are just a few of the problems with this one:
1. When asking any group what’s the one thing they would most like to change about anything, the answer will always be what most benefits them, and what most immediately benefits everyone is money. This does not account for other resources such as time and personal energy spent in the pursuit of satisfaction. For example in Healthcare, how much is it worth to have no hassles with insurance companies including having restricted choices on available specialists or other providers within a health plan’s network, or having to spend countless hours tracking down some unexpected bills charged at a hospital or doctor’s office?
2. When asking any group about a specific reform, such as any that might reduce their out-of-pocket medical expenses, that would by definition exclude more comprehensive reforms that would include more comprehensive benefits such as would be included in an expanded and improved Medicare for All.
3. When asking any group how they feel about changing the status quo in favor of substantive change, it is assumed that the population being polled is adequately informed on their options for change and therefore not too apprehensive to be bold in their decision making. This last trick of the polling trade is the most cynical and disingenuous, and cannot be condoned. However, it should also be a wake up call to activists that more raising of awareness in our communities needs to be done.
To conclude that “The American people overwhelmingly want Congress to improve the Affordable Care Act, not repeal it or replace it with something radically different…” is a bridge too far by any rational and respectful interpretation of their own polling. With this attempt at perverse mass persuasion, the establishment and corporate Dems of the DCCC are just doing what they do best, gaslighting the electorate. This should inspire all of us even further to continue to raise awareness about just how Single Payer Medicare for All will save money and save lives, and inspire us all to fight even more for #HealthcareJustice.”
“I guess the DCCC hasn’t yet heard what the rest of us already know, that not only is Single Payer Medicare for All getting more and more popular, it’s now polling over 65% favorable in the population at large and more than 80% favorable among Democrats. Maybe the DCCC should change it’s name to RL(Republican Light)CCC.”
We at PDA have stood on the premise that Healthcare Is A Human Right since our inception in 2004. We will continue to educate congress on this issue, and support candidates who will fight for healthcare for all.
Please either contribute now to our efforts, or reply to this email to volunteer as a national phone team member or local chapter member.
In solidarity with healthcare for all,
Mike Fox for Dr. Bill, Donna, Mike H., Janis, Deb, Kimberly, Bryan, Dan, and Judy, your PDA national team.
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