Non-M4A plans will leave millions of people uninsured

[wellst0nev0ter]

Joe Biden admits on his website that as many as 9 million Americans will not be covered.

https://joebiden.com/healthcare/

So why are these people being left behind? Why is the focus on the costs of M4A and not on why we are comfortable leaving people vulnerable and uninsured?

[George II]

1. I don't see where.....

"Joe Biden admits on his website that as many as 9 million Americans will not be covered."

[wellst0nev0ter]

4. Read his plan and do the math

[Thekaspervote]

12. We have to start somewhere with a plan that will actually become law and that is not mfa

You can kill the messenger if you want... but when skilled politicians say mfa has no path to becoming law, then we should listen.

There’s no democrat anywhere that doesn’t agree everyone should have health care.

If you have a magic wand then please proceed!!

[HerbChestnut]

24. We started with the ACA, it's time to finish the job.

[emmaverybo]

2. Since M4All will not kick in for years, if ever, I ask what is the progressive plan to protect

Medicare, Medicaid, ACA (and improve it) and regulate private insurance during the long interim.
Biden says he will protect at-risk Medicare and Medicaid. Nothing from Sanders or Warren on this,

M4All critics focus on cost because it makes the difference between ever getting to universal coverage with this particular option or not.

Nine million people are a fraction of our population. It should not be all that difficult to subsidize their care as we head to universal coverage, which Biden favors.

[wellst0nev0ter]

3. So 9 million people are expendable

Good to know.

[beastie boy]

9. How in the world did you arrive at THAT conclusion?

You can't even assume the 9 million you are referring to will be left with no health care options.

[LanternWaste]

32. I dig how you ascribe non-existent motives to others

in order to shore up your own biased narrative.

"Good to know..."

[wellst0nev0ter]

5. Also, what will Biden do about $400 insulin?

That and infinite other obscenities are what are breaking Medicare and Medicaid.

[Autumn]

7. Prescription drugs are out of control here. My Dr. prescribed an inhaler for me. My

Advantage plan brought it down to $287.00 for a month. My daughter got the script from my Dr and faxed it to a pharmacy in Canada. I get a three month supply for $60.00

[beastie boy]

11. It's right there, at the link you provided.

"Limiting launch prices for drugs that face no competition and are being abusively priced by manufacturers. Through his work on the Cancer Moonshot, Biden understands that the future of pharmacological interventions is not traditional chemical drugs but specialized biotech drugs that will have little to no competition to keep prices in check. Without competition, we need a new approach for keeping the prices of these drugs down. For these cases where new specialty drugs without competition are being launched, under the Biden Plan the Secretary of Health and Human Services will establish an independent review board to assess their value. The board will recommend a reasonable price, based on the average price in other countries (a process called external reference pricing) or, if the drug is entering the U.S. market first, based on an evaluation by the independent board members. This reasonable price will be the rate Medicare and the public option will pay."

There may be answers to your other questions there, if only you took some time off being outraged, and read the whole thing.

[wellst0nev0ter]

18. Yes, reading is fundamental

For these cases where new specialty drugs without competition are being launched

So according to your excerpt, only a certain category of not-yet-existent drugs will face price controls, not the existing traditional drugs like insulin that are gouged to no end.

We don't need more trimming around the edges. We need radical changes.

[emmaverybo]

22. Warren has to find the money to make the radical changes and a radical political will. Even then,

changes will not come overnight. She needs to answer Biden’s question—what do people do for healthcare in the meantime?

[beastie boy]

23. Indeed. But reading the whole thing is even more so.

I told you there are answers to your questions there if only you read Biden's plan in its entirety. But if you insist, I will further quote from it:

" Limiting price increases for all brand, biotech, and abusively priced generic drugs to inflation. As a condition of participation in the Medicare program and public option, all brand, biotech, and abusively priced generic drugs will be prohibited from increasing their prices more than the general inflation rate. The Biden Plan will also impose a tax penalty on drug manufacturers that increase the costs of their brand, biotech, or abusively priced generic over the general inflation rate.

Allowing consumers to buy prescription drugs from other countries. To create more competition for U.S. drug corporations, the Biden Plan will allow consumers to import prescription drugs from other countries, as long as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has certified that those drugs are safe."

We don't need to fabricate bogus outrage. We need to pay attention.

[wellst0nev0ter]

25. This begs the question

Will $400 insulin be here to stay, or will it be reduced? All I read is that drug prices will stop inflating at outrageous rates, but nothing about lowering prices to reasonable level.

[beastie boy]

28. The answer to your question, once again, is right there, in Biden's plan: no, it will not be $400,

and yes, it will be reduced. Perhaps you can do some research and tell us by how much.

What is the lowest price of insulin outside of the United States? Since Biden's plan calls for lifting all restrictions off purchasing medications outside the US, that would be the price of insulin (plus shipping, I presume).

[Demsrule86]

30. Yeah and any candidate who says they can lower the cost of insulin or other

meds is not to be trusted because they can't. You need congress... over -promising is not a means to win an election. People don`t believe you. Some candidates are already facing this.

[LanternWaste]

33. You certainly move the goalposts with such a dexterous rapidity.

It almost compels me to believe you're not at all interested in answers to questions, but merely in advancing a biased narrative. But only hacks would do that, right?

[Hoyt]

6. Warren losing in 2020 would leave a whole lot more than 3% uncovered.

And she will lose on MANDATED MFA , no matter how much someone is opposed to MFA.

Assuming 9 million is close to correct — and not military, etc. — it would be a big reduction from current uninsured and underinsured.

I think, though, you are misreading Biden’s plan and expecting too much from Warren or Sanders.

[beastie boy]

8. "Uninsired" is not the same as "ineligible".

But nice try.

I read the plan.It mentions 97% or more Americans being covered by the expanded Obamacare. Nowhere does it say the other 3% or fewer will not be eligible. And it doesn't mention they will be "vulnerable and uninsured". The estimate may refer to the 3% or less that will choose not to enroll, for whatever reason. Perhaps they feel less vulnerable than those being insured under the plan. Perhaps they are independently wealthy. Perhaps they are the gun freaks who "want to stick it to the libtards". Perhaps they are religious fanatics who don't believe in medical intervention. There may be up to 9 million reason why people would make choices that sound weird to you.

But thanks for the link anyway.

[AncientGeezer]

10. Where? "Joe Biden admits on his website that as many as 9 million Americans will not be covered"

[quickesst]

13. Here on Democratic Underground....

.... most people are aware of the fact they should take any interpretation of Joe Biden's words or actions by the anti-Biden segment cautiously, and with a huge grain of salt. Sadly, what they deem as adding legitimacy to these interpretations are the reinforcing comments from the choir. I should add that the "choir" does not include everyone who is supporting a different candidate than Joe Biden. Most people here understand the importance of the Democratic Party choosing a nominee based upon facts, character, and honestly.

[Cha]

14. I already did.. a boulder. I wasn't even

going to comment as worth it.. until I saw your post and then I had to say..'

Link to tweet

quickesst

[Thekaspervote]

15. Hey Cha.. great poster/gif

Amazing that as this primary drags on it becomes so very clear that Biden continues be the least “ambitious” candidate of them all with a long history of service to his country!

[quickesst]

16. Hi Cha!

Thanks for the comment. Although I know that the majority of people here understand what I'm saying, I just thought I would provide a little reminder to the anti Biden segment that preaching to the choir does not help their cause in the least, and only serves to alienate the majority even further.

Here is another version to complement your own.

?itemid=14984155

[emmaverybo]

17. Lovely.

[quickesst]

19. Thanky

[Cha]

20. Mahalo for your version, quickesst.. it's beautful!

[quickesst]

21. Welcome Cha!

?itemid=10897340

[JoeOtterbein]

26. K n R

Thanks for your post!

[Happy Hoosier]

27. This is a bit misleading...

Joe is not my candidate, but this is a bit misleading.

Any public option plan can be written to ensure anyone not covered is automatically enrolled in the public option.

And it may seem to crass to you, but the costs of these plans is very much an issue. It must be, because we have to pay for it.

We need to move away from employer-based health insurance, but we need to do it in a way that has a chance of succeeding.

[Demsrule86]

29. That is not what he says. A public option will cover those folks.

What will happen if we push M4A at the expense of the ACA is we end up with nothing as M4A will not pass and the ACA will be destroyed. The ACA was tough to pass and hard to implement...we gave up a house majority to give peple health care. We saved millions of lives. My feeling is that those who push this should stop and we've work on saving the ACA...this is all we have at the moment. People depend on it. I find it irresponsible to risk people's lives in this manner.

[corbettkroehler]

31. Thank You! The Truth Really Hurts (Literally, In This Case!)

[brooklynite]

34. M4A plans will leave millions more people uninsured

...if Sanders/Warren lose the election.