June 18
GUEST: Jeff Mikkelson, researcher and grassroots healthcare activist, talks about the campaign to get his town, Phillipstown, to pass a resolution supporting the New York State Health Act.What is the New York Health Act?
Jeff is a determined guy. Universal Healthcare makes so much sense that it is almost a crime against millions of Americans that the richest nation in the world can't have what has become a human right in other developed countries. And why can't we have it? The pharmaceutical and insurance companies, as well as the for profit health corporations. Our government is set up to please these huge corporate entities at the expanse of the rest of us.
Jeff wanted to see if this played well at a local town board. Would board members understand why so many go bankrupt or die because they have no health coverage? And if he was able to explain it locally, would that make any difference?
When advocating for racial justice, there is a moment of enlightenment when white Americans understand that their privilege has come at the cost of someone else's suffering. Perhaps Americans who have good healthcare coverage will experience the same awakening. Some billionaires are getting even richer by jeopardizing the lives of the millions who are uninsured or underinsured. Do we have blood on our hands for living comfortably in such a system?
Or maybe the revolution in healthcare will come when the body bags are piled at the end of our streets. COVID is such a killer because our healthcare system is so dysfunctional that we still can't even buy a mask. That we can't even get tested. Maybe small town all over the US will start pressuring their representatives to wean themselves from the corporate gravy train and do something for this stricken nation.
