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Health Care Tag

Last month, I wrote about how the cancellation of "elective" surgeries, cancer screenings, and other important and often life-saving healthcare services is impacting the U.S. healthcare system. The trend has continued downward since then, with more healthcare professionals losing their jobs, their practices, and their livelihoods.  Additionally, the harmful impact on their now-former patients is, at this point, immeasurable.

While the Wuhan coronavirus is a real problem, our often one-size-fits-all response appears to be creating still more problems, particularly in terms of our nation's health care system.  Cancer screenings and surgeries, most diagnostic screenings unrelated to the coronavirus, and many necessary quality of life surgeries have been canceled or postponed indefinitely to keep hospitals free to handle a massive influx of coronavirus patients. An influx that in most parts of the country hasn't happened. The resultant loss of medical professionals' jobs, loss of revenue to hospitals, and potential loss of patient life (or quality of life) are creating a whole new healthcare crisis across the country.

In his Nevada caucus victory speech, Bernie Sanders rattled off -- before an ecstatic crowd of college-age supporters -- a laundry list of promises: Free public higher education, cancellation of all student loan debt, universal free healthcare, universal "affordable" childcare, minimum $60k per year teacher salaries, and a nationwide $15 per hour minimum wage, among other things. And not just for citizens, but for the "undocumented" as well.

During my recent trip to D.C., I had a chance to sit down for an interview with Cabot Phillips of Campus Reform, which is part of The Leadership Institute. The topic was Elizabeth Warren, focusing on her Medicare-for-all plan, as well as her Native American problem and electoral prospects. From the Campus Reform write up, EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: Cornell prof rips Elizabeth Warren's 'Medicare for all' plan to shreds:

Elizabeth Warren has been catching flak from her fellow Democrat presidential candidates over her refusal to say how she will pay for her $30 trillion plus Medicare for All plan. In contrast to Bernie, who is honest enough to say he'll raise taxes including on the middle class (though even that won't raise enough revenue), Warren has employed the same strategy she use when caught falsely claiming to be Native American: Deflect and delay.

2020 Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) will still not admit the middle class will see higher taxes with Medicare for All. Warren's arrogance overflows on this subject even after two opponents called her out on the national stage on Tuesday. Instead, Warren has decided to review "the revenue options suggested by the 2016 Bernie [Sanders] campaign along with other revenue options.

For months, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) has tap-danced around the issue of whether or not her Medicare for All plan would raise taxes on the middle class. She's sidestepped the question when asked about it at debates and she's refused to directly address the issue when asked about it during post-debate interviews.