November 1921: Sheppard-Towner Act – Arsenal For Democracy Ep. 400

Description: 100 years ago this week, on November 23, 1921, the first US government attempt at a modest social welfare program (focused on maternal and infant health) became law. Reactionary forces unraveled it by 1929, but it was influential regardless. Bill and Rachel discuss.

Links and notes for Ep. 400 (PDF): http://arsenalfordemocracy.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/AFD-Ep-400-The-Sheppard-Towner-Act-of-1921.pdf

Theme music by Stunt Bird.

April 12, 2020 – Hospital Economics – Arsenal For Democracy Ep. 303

Description: What the coronavirus pandemic highlights about the problems of privatized and semi-privatized healthcare, especially in the management and operation of hospitals. Greg, Rachel, Bill.

Ep. 303 Links & Notes: http://arsenalfordemocracy.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/AFD-Ep-303-Links-and-Notes-Hospital-economics.pdf

Theme music by Stunt Bird.

July 26, 2017 – Arsenal For Democracy Ep. 189

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Topics: Total U.S. student debt forgiveness; Universal dental care. People: Bill, Rachel, Jonathan, and Paul. Produced: July 24th, 2017.

Episode 189 (54 min):
AFD 189

Listener correction:

– One of our Canadian listeners writes to say “Small correction, dental care isn’t covered in Canada. I require benefits through my job to pay for dental care. I believe there are some dental programs for senior at a certain age but not for the regular populace… that and Pharmacare aren’t covered here which is why we still need benefits packages through our jobs and what not.”

Research and links for this episode

Jonathan’s huge dossier on student debt forgiveness
Rachel’s links on dental care policy

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Music by friend of the show @StuntBirdArmy.

March 29, 2017 – Arsenal For Democracy Ep. 175

Posted by Bill on behalf of the team.

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Topics: The 14th anniversary of the US invasion of Iraq and whether or not there is growing public support for universal programs in the United States. People: Bill and Greg. Produced: March 26th, 2017.

Episode 175 (57 min — extended version not aired on FM):
AFD 175

Soundcloud Excerpts:

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Music by friend of the show @StuntBirdArmy.

Dec 28, 2016 – Arsenal For Democracy Ep. 163

Posted by Bill on behalf of the team.

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Second of a two part series: Greg and Jonathan join Bill to discuss the fate of the health insurance industry and what the left should counter Republican proposals with. Produced: Dec 19th, 2016.

Episode 163 (50 min):
AFD 163

Last week: Greg and Jonathan join Bill to discuss what worked and didn’t work in Democratic health reform as well as what really bad ideas Republicans have for replacing it.

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Music by friend of the show @StuntBirdArmy.

Dec 21, 2016 – Arsenal For Democracy Ep. 162

Posted by Bill on behalf of the team.

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First of a two part series: Greg and Jonathan join Bill to discuss what worked and didn’t work in Democratic health reform as well as what really bad ideas Republicans have for replacing it. Produced: Dec 19th, 2016.

Episode 162 (52 min):
AFD 162

Coming next week: In part two (already recorded), we’ll discuss the big philosophical questions surrounding how societies provide for people’s health, and what Democrats should be proposing as an alternative to destructive Republican plans

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Music by friend of the show @StuntBirdArmy.

Could single-payer be coming to Colorado?

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Pending verification of signatures, this proposal will be on the Colorado ballot in November 2016!

“Colorado Pushes for Universal Health Care That’s Governed by the People” – Yes Magazine:

ColoradoCare proposes a single-payer model that covers every Colorado resident. A tax on income and employers would replace insurance premiums, but the revenue wouldn’t be subject to the whims of legislators; instead, it would go directly to a fund overseen by trustees whom the recipients choose. In this respect, it would be a cooperative-like system accountable to everyone in the state, independent from the rest of the government and enshrined in the constitution.

 
State Sen. Irene Aguilar (MD) explains the genesis of the proposal:

“In 2007, Colorado had something called the 208 Blue Ribbon Commission for Healthcare Reform. The four plans it considered included a single-payer health care plan, and the commissioners created subgroups to consider how the plans would impact certain populations. Since my daughter was disabled, I applied to be on the vulnerable populations task force. We learned that if we adopted the single-payer plan we could have everyone covered and decrease spending by $1.6 billion a year.”

They didn’t pick it and — after various twists and turns — she ended up running for office to find a way to pass it. Now it’s a ballot initiative effort.

More mechanics and projections of the program:

“You collect the funds through a premium tax—a 6.6 percent employer tax across the board and a 3.3 percent individual tax. If you’re self-employed, it’s the whole 10 percent, but because it’s tax deductible it ends up being less than that. The funds are collected through our taxes, but they’re transferred into a separate authority that is run by its own elected board of directors.”
[…]
“We had a fiscal analysis done by Gerald Friedman, an economist at UMass, Amherst. He anticipated that with the Affordable Care Act, health care would be about 19.4 percent of the gross state product, and if we were to switch to this model, it would be closer to 15 percent. By Obamacare standards, the level of care would be the very top—Platinum Plus—covering 90 percent of your total health costs. We added in no copay for primary care and low copayments that the primary-care provider can waive if necessary to prevent longer-term costs. We also had it priced for everyone in state, regardless of documentation status, under the knowledge that we would not be turning people away for emergency care, so it made more sense to have up-front preventative care available for all the people who lived in the state. Vermont’s single-payer policy imploded because it was way too expensive for them. It’s a small state. But we have the numbers.”