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"We have to help our politicians understand we're not going to tolerate it anymore. There's no reason we're the only country of our economic strength that doesn't provide everybody in the country with access to healthcare. And we just have to stop listening to the [arguments of], 'Oh, it's going to be rationed.' It is currently rationed." - Dr. Diljeet K Singh, MD, DrPH.

FEATURING DR. DILJEET K SINGH - Although a majority of Americans support a Medicare-for-All system, the movement to make healthcare accessible and debt-free faces pro-corporate forces in government seeking to preserve private insurance companies and hospitals at the expense of public health.

On June 8, hundreds of rights organizations, including unions, pro-democracy organizations, and racial and economic justice groups signed onto an open letter demanding a healthcare system paid for by all of us and benefitting all of us. The letter, spearheaded by Public Citizen, asked the questions, “How can one feel optimism for our future when over 40% of us are carrying around the burden of medical debt? How can we plan for our futures when we can’t afford to go to the doctor or cover rent?” 

Dr. Diljeet K. Singh, MD, DrPH, is a practicing gynecologic oncologist and President of Physicians for a National Health Program. She spoke with Sonali Kolhatkar about the open letter she signed on to.

ROUGH TRANSCRIPT:

Sonali Kolhatkar: So, when we think about what Medicare for All means, most people are familiar with Medicare. It is the government healthcare system paid for by all of us, but you're only eligible for it when you're 65 or older. And so expanding that to everybody ought to be a no-brainer, but we just haven't been able to achieve that. When you talk to folks who have internalized the opposition to Medicare for All, what do you say to them to convince them that not only is Medicare for All possible, but imperative? 

Dr. Diljeet K Singh: I think it depends on who you're talking to. Most patients who've had to interact with the healthcare system or who have a serious illness understand that their insurance does not give them all the things they need, that between co-pays and deductibles and prior authorization, that they're not getting the care they've earned and that they deserve. 

And then there's a lot of people who are afraid, right? They're afraid that if some new system comes in, they'll lose what they have access to, not realizing that they have access to a subpar program really. 

So, I think we just have the same conversation over and over, that don't you deserve healthcare with no co-pays, no deductibles? You're sick, you show up. You don't have to worry what it's going to cost. You don't have to worry that you're away from home on vacation or something's different, and you don't have to worry that if you lose your job, or God forbid, you decide to pursue your dreams and try to open your own business, that you won't have coverage. So, I think mostly it's educating people, and then I think it's giving voice to the people who have dealt with the healthcare system. 

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