CommentsALPERN AT LARGE-As the impeachment circus in the House (hardcore Democrats probably think that Trump and his supporters are the clowns, while hardcore Republicans probably think that Pelosi, Schiff, and Nadler and their supporters are the clowns) moves now (or not) to the Senate, we're still where we were a decade ago.
Healthcare is more expensive than ever, and in particular drug costs are more expensive than ever, and Americans are quite united on that issue throughout the political spectrum.
So, as it becomes evident that any action from Congress on this issue will have to wait until after November 2020, we're on our own.
Did hardcore Democrats and Democratic/liberal pundits scream loud enough to go with a censure of the President in Congress and avoid the open declaration of war by the House on the Executive Branch, in order to focus on health care costs, affordable housing, and other middle-class priorities?
Nope.
Did hardcore Republicans and Republican/conservative pundits scream loud enough to encourage the White House and/or the Senate to come up with a health care cost-reduction plan, and to provide another outlet for political debate on something relevant to average Americans?
Nope.
Well, maybe the President and Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar did have a good idea to import drugs from Canada, to be fair.
And the pharmaceutical industry and Canada, of course, oppose the idea. The issues of Canadian drug supplies and issues of whether the measure would lower costs are reasonable, but probably there's a host of self-interest going on as American consumers/patients are bled dry by unreasonable pricing.
To say nothing of both Canada and the pharmaceutical industry being quite comfortable bleeding Americans dry.
This is, of course, no less of a tragedy and a crisis than the armies of Real Estate Trusts and foreign investors (primarily from mainland China) who are gobbling up homes and apartment developments and jacking up rent and home costs for average Americans.
And, of course, this is no less of a tragedy and a crisis than the armies of universities bleeding gullible and desperate American families dry for the costs of an education which--like most medicines and rent--should be affordable to the hardworking American middle class.
But, PLEASE, brothers and sisters, let's talk about impeachment about a phone call that may or may not have been appropriate, and about a corrupt foreign government that may have had ties with the Biden family that may or may not have been appropriate.
Because health care and medicine costs, as well as affordable rent/mortgages and college, are WAY less important than the political rivalry of House Speaker Pelosi and President Trump.
Oh, yes, the Individual Mandate of the Affordable Care Act was declared unconstitutional by the Fifth Court of Appeals, setting up a Supreme Court battle that could possible end the Affordable Care Act altogether.
Sounds like our nation's health care is going right back to where it was over ten years ago...to ground zero.
Fortunately, our economy is allowing more of us to get health care...but a lot of us are hurting even if we have insurance (the costs of everything are going up by far faster than inflation).
And those of us obsessed with Washington and politics now get to enjoy the resultant inaction of Congress and the White House, while ignoring the facts behind who put them in office.
I hope the White House/Congress show was worth the costs of admission...because there sure ARE some huge costs of the inaction that has resulted from our political theatrics.
Because these theatrics have sucked all the energy, time, and resources out of the health care debates that SHOULD HAVE been the focus of the last Congressional term, because the crisis that has been dogging our nation for decades is nowhere close to being fixed.
(CityWatch Columnist, Kenneth S. Alpern, M.D, is a dermatologist who has served in clinics in Los Angeles, Orange, and Riverside Counties, and is a proud husband and father to two cherished children and a wonderful wife. He was (termed out) also a Westside Village Zone Director and Board member of the Mar Vista Community Council (MVCC), previously co-chaired its Outreach Committee, and currently is Co-Chair of its MVCC Transportation/Infrastructure Committee and Vice-Chair of its Planning Committee. He was co-chair of the CD11 Transportation Advisory Committee and chaired the nonprofit Transit Coalition and can be reached at [email protected]. He also co-chairs the grassroots Friends of the Green Line at www.fogl.us. The views expressed in this article are solely those of Dr. Alpern.)
-cw
