Climb Every Mountain - rise up to Medicare for All

It's impossible to understand how Republicans continue to ignore the achievements of civilized nations that provide universal health care for all their citizens - including Russia!, while ignoring their responsibility to provide insurance coverage for our fellow Americans. (Canada provides universal care!)

Nevertheless, in the dismal failure the Republicans experienced in the humiliating defeat of their "replace" bill, called the American Health Care Act (AHCA), their stupidity may have finally driven home the concept of "universal health care". Indeed, even conservative pundit Charles Krauthammer "gets" this.

RealClear Politics by Tim Haines:
Krauthammer: Obamacare Succeeded In Creating Expectation Of Universal Health Care
On Friday's edition of  FoxNews 'Special Report', the syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer made the case that President Obama's strategy for his signature "Obamacare" was not to create a perfect health care system, but to build the expectation that health care is "a human right", and something the government is responsible for supporting. 

Krauthammer said Obama was successful at "creating the expectation of universal health care". As a result "the zeitgeist (Oh, for heavens sake Krauthammer, use real English!- "dominant set of ideals and beliefs that motivate the actions of the members of a society") in the country has really changed." Put another way, the failed Republican's health care "repeal and replace" changed the dominant point of view about health care.  It's not a back door way to inject tax cuts for the rich, like the failed Republican plan tried and failed to do. Rather, it's a human right for all people.

Charles Krauthammer is a pundit

"The Democrats are going in one direction," Krauthammer explained. "When Obamacare explodes or collapses, or dies with a whimper and not a bang... the Democrats are going to head in one direction only: single payer. The British or Canadian system."

"That is the logic of Obamacare. It was a system which would temporarily create (an entitlement?) HELLO? It's not an entitlement when people pay premiums for the coverage!

Krauthammper is wrong to tell Fox News that Obamacare will not work because, in fact, it is financially possible. Beneficiaries who pay for the Affordable Care Act coverage expect to have essential benefits included in their insurance and, moreover, they're willing to pay for this benefit. Obamacare works because it is financially possible... But, said Krauthammer,  the Republcians have succeeded at creating the expectation of universal care, (yes!) and once you have that... What we're going to get is Democrats going to a single payer," he added.

Krauthammer, says we're experiencing "zeitgeist'? In other words, America has finally reached a "teachable moment" about how to conceptualize health care.  It's a human right.

"The zeitgeist in the country has really changed," he said.

Haha! Yup, I even looked up the word, for the benefit of readers (like me!) who might not entirely "get" what Krauthammer said to right wing FoxNews. In fact, the truth is, the debate over the failed Republican plan called the American Health Care Act has created a teachable moment in our daunting public policy debate about health care.

"Zeitgeist", to you  too, Krauthammer.  Let's expand Medicare to cover all people who qualify!

By the way, for a man who's board certified in psychiatry, you sure can confuse people with you weird words.  

Although Democrats, led by Rep. Nancy Pelosi, can justifiably rejoice in well organized opposition to the Republican's "repeal and replace" disaster, the fact is, we must climb even more political mountains to achieve the ultimate goal of passing universal coverage. Let's do it!