Medicare For All?

By Lucius Gantt

      Black Americans are being told “Medicare for All” is the best health thing since the invention of band-aids. Democratic socialists, like Sen. Bernie Sanders, seem convinced that all United States citizens can benefit fra history of comprehensive and universal health system.

       The idea is a great idea, but history is the best teacher. The “history” that I’m familiar with is a history of neglect and deprivation. The United States government has never exhibited fair and equal health care treatment for all people in the USA.

        Black hospitals, Black health clinics, and Black health organizations began to disappear drastically in the 1970s when public health facilities were required to treat all citizens with health concerns or injuries, regardless of a patient’s race, creed, or color.

          The current banning of Black books mirrored the banning of Black health providers. Black graduates of medical schools, dental schools, and other health related educational institutions were encouraged to join the AMA and the other predominately white health groups and the subsequent results from the outside encouragers benefited the white-controlled health systems, organizations, and institutions and decimated the Black health systems.

          Black seniors are old enough to remember Black hospitals with Black doctors and nurses, but young Blacks think the way health care is provided today is the way Blacks have always had their health concerns addressed.

         I am just not convinced “Medicare for All” will result in all Americans being treated in the very best ways. I certainly won’t oppose any efforts to fund a “Medicare for All” government proposal. But if there are no safeguards to prevent uses of Black patients in unauthorized syphilis studies, Black Americans should rush to rubber stamp any health care plans proposed that Blacks have no input into the design and the staffing of the proposed health facilities in Black communities.

        You may ask, “Why are their no Black health groups like PPOs, HMOs and other groups?” Well, one reason is clear, when you get Black professionals in any group to unite to make money, all of the Black health professionals must share money information. Many Black doctors and health professional don’t want patients or group members to know they arenot making the income that patients believe they should be earning.

         Don’t trip, all Black professional organizations have similar concerns. The big newspapers are reluctant to share money information with smaller newspapers, big broadcasters and streaming companies will never share their revenue information with influencers and podcasters.

          Health care is truly important and necessary. Black health providers must create Black health facilities that can use modern medicine and traditional and cultural remedies to treat Black patients.

          If the “Medicare for All” plans can’t tell me how Black health providers can function in their plans in treatments, purchasing transactions, access and affordability and other areas, it is best for them to focus the Black Americans that embrace, accept and believe in the “Medicare for All” talking points that are basically silent about health diversity, inclusion and equity.

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