Above Photo: Health care costs via Shutterstock
Medicare turns 52 this Sunday as Republicans lament their slow going efforts to privatize a public service on behalf of the insurance industry and other healthcare profiteers. (This is also Medicaid’s birthday, healthcare for the poor, passed along with Medicare, health care for the elderly). That being said, Democrats have made a concerted effort to do the same, they just wrap their efforts in a more caring and affordable facade. As we stare down the possibility of millions more losing access to life saving medicines and treatment, the numbers show that neither the ACA nor the House’s AHCA or the senate’s BCRA will alleviate widespread suffering, deaths or economic hardships. Only one thing can solve the US health crisis: single payer, improved Medicare for All. So, as we come around to Medicare’s birthday, we can’t just watch Congress ready their machetes and slash away at care for the sake of profit. We need to join the fight for improved Medicare for All, once and for all – here’s how.
This week on Act Out! Medicare turns 52 years old this year and as organizers gear up for their 52 events for Medicares 52nd, we take another look at why Medicare for All matters and how you can join the fight. Next up, Cultures of Resistance director Iara Lee wasn’t content to just document suffering – she wanted to help. In this special interview, she outlines her work as an activist, artist and filmmaker, how art is a catalyst for change and what she’s learned on the front lines of hundreds of movements for change.