Fifteen years working as an emergency room nurse has convinced Kim Bogan that the only way to fix the American healthcare system is to tear it down and start over.
asserted
way → work → it
Her patients arriving for triage are sicker than ever.
asserted
patients → arrive → triage
They can't afford many of the prescriptions they get in the ER.
asserted
they → afford → ER
And sometimes when patients die, she wonders if she could have saved them had she not been caring for five or six other people at once.
uncertain
she → die → people
That's why she spent the past year shuttling between 12-hour shifts at this city's Sparrow Hospital and campaigning for
, the Democrat who made "Medicare for All" a signature issue in his congressional campaign and is now a senator-elect.
asserted
Medicare → spend → campaign
But she realizes that just because progressive candidates successfully campaigned on some form of the policy in states such as Texas, Iowa, Maine, and Michigan, it doesn't mean Medicare for All will be an easy sell.
asserted
Medicare → realize → All
"Nobody expected that," Bogan said.
asserted
Bogan → expect → that
Medicare for All typically refers to a government health program that would guarantee Americans coverage by replacing most or all private insurance.
asserted
that → refer → insurance
Critics are already pointing out that, even in won by smaller margins than more moderate Democrats.
asserted
Critics → point → Democrats
as massive as the , the most vocal Medicare for All champions generally"Whatever else people voted for in this midterm election — anger about inflation, anger about corruption, anger about the Iran war — they by and large didn't vote to have the government take over health insurance," said Jonathan Oberlander, a professor and healthcare reform expert at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.
asserted
Oberlander → vote → Carolina
Still, supporters of universal healthcare see this moment as a once-in-a-generation opportunity because Americans are buckling under the weight of healthcare costs and are hungry for change.
asserted
Americans → see → change
Several states, including Oregon, are already exploring what it would take to set up single-payer systems.
asserted
it → include → systems
The
"dominated this election, and Medicare for All speaks to that," Oberlander said.
asserted
Oberlander → dominate → that
Medicare for All supporters expect the policy agenda will gain major momentum heading into the 2028 Democratic presidential primaries, he said.
asserted
he → expect → primaries
But more moderate Democrats may see the idea's growing popularity as a threat to
in states such as Iowa, Kansas, and South Carolina.
uncertain
Democrats → see → Iowa
"If Democrats want to hold those seats, which were very difficult to win, they're probably not interested in passing Medicare for All," Oberlander said.
asserted
Oberlander → want → All
"That's a huge political risk in red-leaning states.
asserted
That → lean → states
So just because Democrats have a majority doesn't mean it's a majority for Medicare for All.
asserted
it → mean → All
"Previous Medicare for All proposals would have required getting millions of people to willingly give up their existing coverage, fueling unprecedented opposition from the healthcare industry, said Michael Cannon, a healthcare economist at the libertarian Cato Institute and a Medicare for All opponent.
asserted
Cannon → require → All
"If Medicare for All actually had the price levels that Bernie Sanders and Abdul El-Sayed envision, the industry would tear it to shreds," he said.
asserted
he → have → shreds
And even as voters say they support Medicare for All in greater numbers than in nearly a decade, support falters when they're presented with common arguments against it — like it could lead to higher taxes or delays in treatment — according to a recent KFF poll.
uncertain
it → say → poll
Jaime Bardenhagen said she feels a little guilty about the idea of getting her healthcare coverage from the government.
asserted
she → say → government
A former nurse in rural Leelanau County in northern Michigan, Bardenhagen has Parkinson's and sialidosis, a rare genetic disease that can cause seizures.
asserted
that → have → seizures
Yet she "feels bad" about qualifying for disability benefits next year.
asserted
she → feel → benefits
Such programs were something she "didn't believe in" while growing up on a farm, she said.
asserted
she → believe → farm
You were supposed to work for what you needed, she said, not rely on government support.
asserted
she → suppose → support
"And I did work as hard as I could, for as long as I could
uncertain
I → work → ?
"
But like millions of Americans, Bardenhagen and her husband saw their health insurance costs skyrocket this year, after the Affordable Care Act enhanced subsidies expired.
asserted
subsidies → see → Americans
Their monthly premiums went from $700 to $1,300, with a deductible of $7,500.
asserted
premiums → go → 7,500
They started putting off medical tests her doctor wanted, she said.
asserted
she → start → tests
"We couldn't afford that," she said.
asserted
she → afford → that
Her husband voted for Donald Trump in 2016, Bardenhagen said.
asserted
Bardenhagen → vote → 2016
This time, he stayed home.
asserted
he → stay → ?
Bardenhagen, a Democrat, also considered sitting out the midterms.
asserted
Bardenhagen → consider → midterms
"I just don't trust either party anymore," she said.
asserted
she → trust → party
Despite those misgivings, she says she supports Medicare for All.
asserted
she → say → All
Her years as a nurse left her disillusioned with the current healthcare system, she said.
asserted
she → leave → system
She felt the insurance companies, not doctors, were calling the shots, determining which prescriptions and procedures patients could receive.
uncertain
patients → feel → prescriptions
Wouldn't it be fairer, she figured, if "good people" in government were making those calls?
asserted
people → figure → calls
"So, absolutely, the government should take it over."
asserted
government → take → it
…and 17 more, not listed.
The Aporia
