“In this moment of crisis, more and more people understand that we need fundamental changes to our economy, we need fundamental changes to our heath care system,” he told reporters at Hotel Vermont, where he has delivered remarks every day since Wednesday.
On Thursday, Sanders compared the pandemic to a world war and called for proportional emergency response. Friday’s comments signaled that the Democratic presidential candidate sees coronavirus as a chance to broaden the appeal of “Medicare for All” and other proposals that his opponents for months have cast as too radical.
Sanders and campaign front-runner Joe Biden have canceled most public events because of coronavirus, stymieing the large rallies that have been a hallmark of Sanders’ presidential run at a crucial moment. He is losing valuable time to reverse his fortunes in the primary, with elections in delegate-rich states such as Ohio and Florida scheduled for next week.
Asked about the prospect of holding primaries during the outbreak, Sanders said that state officials ought to weigh the risks carefully.
But he made clear that he intends to link the outbreak to his signature campaign issues during an upcoming debate against Biden in Washington, D.C.
“Right now, the absurdity and the dysfunctionality of the current health care system is becoming apparent to everybody,” Sanders said. “Maybe this is an issue Joe Biden and I will be discussing on Sunday night.”
Sanders railed against the costs of coronavirus testing, which he pegged at $1,300, and treatment (pegged at tens of thousands of dollars) as urgent examples of how the government isn’t working for the working class. During a pandemic, he said, workers’ “economic desperation” and poor access to health care puts everyone at risk.
“What this crisis is beginning to teach us is that we are only as safe as the least insured person in America,” he said.
In addition to his calls for universal health care, Sanders said the outbreak illustrates a need for economic reform around paid leave and trade. He called for a national paid family and medical leave program and criticized trade deals that he said left the United States reliant upon other countries for critical health supplies.
Shortly after Sanders spoke, President Donald Trump officially declared a national emergency and said he was making $50 billion available to states.
Related Stories
Got something to say?
Send a letter to the editor and we'll publish your feedback in print!
I believe the PRC has a public health care system, how’d that work out?
Do you think government run healthcare could come up with the increased volume of testing that is occurring? or the accelerated vaccine development occurring?
Meanwhile, yesterday at the premier UVM Medical Center:
“Dr. Tim Lahey, who specializes in infectious diseases, said Vermont had limited test kits when the outbreak first started and had to use them sparingly. Now, we have the ability to test as many people as we need to … but we still want to be really strategic about how we use them,” Lahey added.” (7 Days article yesterday.)
If Bernie wants to make outrageous statements about healthcare, he might want to touch base with Brumstead, Leffler and Lahey before trying to sell his Medicare for all idea. Does he even have a relationship with his local hospital?
The healthcare policy that Bernie has is completely free!!!! What he proposes will have inferior consequences to policies available today!!!
“I believe the PRC has a public health care system, how’d that work out?” In the beginning, not well. Shortyly thereafter, quite well. The virus curve in China has flattened substantially, unlike those in other countries which have taken fewer and less effective measures.
And, a quick search shows that China has a mixed public and private system.
“Do you think government run healthcare could come up with the increased volume of testing that is occurring?” If not, how do you explain the fact that South Korea is testing thousands of times more cases than the US? Literally.
John,
Funnily enough I disagree. The drive to hush things up, imprison whistle blowers, and push outright lies about the situation on their own and other people are what should be remembered about the Chinese response. Basically, what you expect from career bureaucrats (like Bernie) when faced with a crisis. We are much better served by our heavily regulated but market driven system in which providers have a revenue driven imperative to both be good, and look good through open and early communications with their customers.
And by the way, if you are looking to reeaalllly stretch definitions like you did, we also have a mixed public and private system. Medicare exists, it’s public. We also have private providers.
@ John Greenberg,
Is it a superior healthcare system that has China making great progress in controlling the outbreak? Or, is it the fact that the government can control their population in a way that Trump can only envy? And the fact that they completely control what you and I hear about the state of affairs in their country?
I would absolutely agree with you that there is a tension between public health and government control over our lives. But I’d rather die of Covid19 than let Trump order me into an internment camp.
@ John Greenberg,
Is it a superior healthcare system that has China making great progress in controlling the outbreak? Or, is it the fact that the government can control their population in a way that Trump can only envy? And the fact that they completely control what you and I hear about the state of affairs in their country?
I would absolutely agree with you that there is a tension between public health and government control over our lives. But Id rather die of Covid19 than let Trump order me and my family into an internment camp.
@JohnGreenberg China says the number is flattening but maybe true, maybe not. I was in Guangzho when SARS broke for work in one of the hospitals there. I remember what I was told and then what I learned once I got home. Same as now, as they were forced to admit things they admitted the least they could. What they were reporting and what i saw were two different things so keep spreading the propaganda
In reply to those who responded to my remarks:
1) I know virtually nothing about Chinese healthcare, nor did I claim to. My mention of “public and private” was strictly a response to the comment I replied to which claimed it to be largely public. A bit more reading (international.commonwealthfund.org/countri…) suggests that the role of the central government is similar to ours: about a third of total funding.
2) I have no access to statistics other than those reported in American and other media sources. Ultimately, I suppose, these come from the Chinese government, but presumably there are at least some mechanisms available to fact-check them, since early government reports were, in fact, negated by these same media sources.
It is, of course, possible that later analysis will show the current Chinese statistics to have been misleading or otherwise fudged. In an ongoing crisis, we can only use the best information we have, while recognizing its imperfections.
3) China does have an authoritarian government which so far, we do not. Sometimes, authoritarian governments are effective: Hitler, it is said, made the trains run on time. I am NOT endorsing authoritarian governments; I’m stating, what I believe, are facts.
4) We are far from having to choose between effective government and loss of liberty. Governor Scott (and other governors) are exemplifying this every day.
Unfortunately, the president is not. Lying repeatedly to the public about vital health information is counter-effective AND heads us towards, not away from, loss of liberty.
https://dnyuz.com/2020/03/14/chinese-tycoo…