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COVID-19 is Making the Case For Medicare For All.
Why we need guaranteed healthcare for all in the face of this global pandemic.
Since Sunday, the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 have jumped from 500 to over 1,000 in the United States, with cases particularly present in California, Washington, and New York, and the WHO has officially declared it a global pandemic. Last night, the NBA announced they were suspending the rest of the season after one of their players tested positive, and in New York, all SUNY and CUNY schools will be moving to online only for the remainder of the spring semester.
The Coronavirus is probably the single most terrifyingly obvious argument for Medicare for All the United States has ever seen.
While insurance companies have agreed to waive copays for testing, in Washington state testing for the Coronavirus costs $1,000 for the uninsured at a minimum. Today, almost 40% of Americans can not afford a $400 dollar emergency. When considering the number of people who are going to avoid getting tested because they cannot afford the tests, it’s time for the government to come to terms with the fact that Medicare For All is essentially the only way this virus can be contained in any meaningful way.