medicare for all
GRITtv: Sen. Bernie Sanders: We're All In This Together on Health Care
"The USA has got to join the rest of the industrialized world and guarantee health care to everyone as a right, not a privilege," says Senator Bernie Sanders, who this week is introducing a new bill in Congress that would provide a single-payer health care system, administered at the state level, that would treat health care as a human right. Sanders' home state of Vermont is on its way to being the first state in the country with a single-payer plan, but he notes that all Americans should have that same right. Senator Sanders joins Laura from Washington, D.C. via Skype to explain his bill, why it matters, and why he thinks Vermont can lead the nation to a better health system.
Email this pageGRITtv: Essential Dissent: Syracuse Protests Wealthcare
Protesters in Syracuse, N.Y. protested for single-payer, "Medicare for All" outside of Wellpoint last week. They spoke out against the proposed mandate and subsidies for private insurance companies in the coming health care reform bill. The arrest of one protester and the picket line were captured on video exclusively for GRITtv by Wilton Vought of Essential Dissent, as well as commentary by an Iraq veteran, who points out that more people die from lack of health care each year than died on 9/11.
GRITtv Oct. 22, 2009
Once again, the mainstream media missed the boat on a general strike in Puerto Rico, attempts to fearmonger around the census, and the continued standoff in Honduras. Joining us to discuss these issues and more are Roberto Lovato, Erica Gonzalez and Cathy Areu. Rana Husseini, who has been covering "honor killings" in her native Jordan, speaks about her experience and offers suggestions for what activists can do to help. In Puerto Rico last week, over 100,000 citizens marched in protest of Republican governor Luis Fortuño's job cuts. SEIU sent us video urging action in Congress, keeping the pressure on Fortuño to do right by Puerto Ricans.
GRITtv: The F Word: Where are the Fighting Dems?
Let's hear it for false fact studies from lobbyists! This one seems to have served as a declaration of war. Last week, America's Health Insurance Plans released a study claiming that healthcare reform would cause Americans' premiums to soar, and hey presto... Suddenly, the Democrats are acting like they're actually in a fight. Nancy Pelosi has vowed to bring a plan with a robust public option to the House floor, and even Senate leader Harry Reid Twittered his intention to strip insurance companies of their protections from anti-trust laws. The President even mentioned the exemption in his weekly address. So are Democrats finally growing spine? Well, not so fast. Obama still won't commit to ending the exemption that allows insurance companies to do with our health what we don't let Microsoft do with computer software . And he hasn't declared a war for Medicare for all. It's Obama's job to lead on this issue, to fight for the promises he made on the campaign trail: a public plan to keep insurance companies honest, no individual mandate and no taxes on employer-provided care. It's time for the Democrats to fight for measures that will actually improve care, not just sound nice on CNN. Go for it.
