Thread by @AllOnMedicare

I'm going to listen to @P4AHCF Executive Director Lauren Crawford Shaver's recent talk radio interview and share some thoughts in this <THREAD>. The interview is available here: spaces.hightail.com/receive/A7d5Cs… #SinglePayerSunday

The @P4AHCF "executive director" is being interviewed about her anti-#MedicareForAll project on a Washington State radio station that features three hours of Rush Limbaugh every morning. Please note that the "executive director" is a Democrat who worked for the Hillary campaign!

@P4AHCF After the host notes @P4AHCF can be followed across social media platforms, the interview begins with some chit chat between the host and Lauren about how she is from Washington State, but is now calling in from Washington, DC! LOL.

@P4AHCF Lauren says we've made a lot of strides over the past decade to get people "access to the coverage and the coverage that they actually need and works for them."

AcCeSs To CoVeRaGe

@P4AHCF Lauren says that since the ACA was passed, we've seen a 5% increase in public programs and a 5% increase in employer-sponsored insurance. Is the employer-sponsored statistic true?

Of course, she ignores @commonwealthfnd research showing rising underinsurance in employer plans.

@P4AHCF @commonwealthfnd (To clarify, she claimed 5% increase in enrollment in both.)

@P4AHCF @commonwealthfnd LMAO. Here we go...

"And that's the free market and public programs working together to make sure people have the health care that they need and that they want."

This is the classic @P4AHCF line!

Of course, it's absurd to suggest people know what health care they "need" and "want." You never know what underlying health problems you might have -- or what you "need." And, if you don't know that, it's impossible to determine what health care you might "want." This is insane.

Lauren says that @P4AHCF will protect patients from "disruption" and "uncertainty."

Talk about gaslighting!

The status quo is incessant disruption and uncertainty. There is no health, financial, or social security with the status quo.

@P4AHCF "Focus on building what's working in our health care system and fix what's broken -- not starting all over."

Of course, this means they should support improving and expanding Medicare to everyone!

@P4AHCF "We want to make sure everyone has access to affordable, high-quality health care."

AcCeSs

ACCESS!

@P4AHCF "We don't see Medicare for All, buy-in, or public option proposals helping to accomplish that."

It really reflects poorly on the seriousness of @P4AHCF that they just choose to treat three wildly different policies as all the same thing, but DC isn't a thoughtful place!

@P4AHCF Apparently, @P4AHCF is out there "providing research, interesting anecdotes, answering questions."

Have I missed @P4AHCF's engagement with the public? When has their "executive director" taken the time to "answer questions" from the public?

What a joke.

@P4AHCF The host says everyone thinks the health care status quo is broken, setting Lauren up to describe her agenda.

@P4AHCF "What we're advocating for is really focusing on building upon our current system."

As I've told you before -- and so have foreign public health scholars -- WE HAVE NO CURRENT SYSTEM.

@P4AHCF "We see that you have to have strong public programs, you have to have strong private markets or free markets. And you have to make sure that that works for each individual. What might work for me might not work for you."

Absurd. We're all human beings w/ similar health risks.

@P4AHCF "The American people are tired and frustrated with their overall health care system, but they like what they have."

If folks are "tired and frustrated with their overall health care system," how can they "like what they have"?

Do words have meanings for this executive director?

@P4AHCF Apparently, @P4AHCF's executive director has knowledge that all 180 million Americans with employer-sponsored insurance -- FWIW, other estimates put this at about 155 million -- like what they have.

Wow! Crazy to think she knows what 180 million people think about their plans.

@P4AHCF "We want to make sure to continuously improve quality for our patients."

Just to be clear, @forbestate, patients don't answer to you or your executive director. We are not "your patients."

@P4AHCF @forbestate Lauren suggests @P4AHCF is a place where everyone comes together to "look at different proposals and solutions."

LMAO.

@P4AHCF @forbestate "And by the way these groups might not agree on many things...but they agree that Medicare for All doesn't accomplish those things. And that's kind of the conversation we're pushing."

Love the honesty here! @P4AHCF exists to block Medicare for All.

#transparency

@P4AHCF @forbestate The host is now bringing up the FTI Consulting report that @P4AHCF spends a lot of time sharing.

@P4AHCF @forbestate The host asks Lauren to explain why the public option is bad.

@P4AHCF @forbestate Lauren responds, "Absolutely."

@P4AHCF @forbestate "The concept of getting everyone coverage is dear to the work we do at the Partnership."

LMAO.

@P4AHCF @forbestate Now Lauren is trying to raise doubts about a public option, "lots of questions."

@P4AHCF @forbestate Lauren warns a public option would create a "two-tiered health system where employer-sponsored insurance would be through a different set of hospitals and very different than those in the public program or the public option."

And we don't already have a multi-tier situation?

Also, what the heck is she talking about in terms of a "different set of hospitals"?! I think the @P4AHCF "executive director" should try and learn a little more about health care policy!

That last sentence makes little sense.

@P4AHCF "One thing that we pride ourselves on right now is that once you have coverage, you have many choices in the system."

Ummm, is Lauren aware of the narrow networks dominating ACA plans?

@P4AHCF IT BLOWS MY MIND THAT @P4AHCF'S "EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR" IS ARGUING THAT A PUBLIC OPTION WOULD RISK CREATING A TWO-TIERED SYSTEM!

JESUS CHRIST.

HOW MANY TIERS DO WE HAVE RIGHT NOW? WE HAVE THOUSANDS OF TIERS!

(Sorry for the all caps, but just wow. So dumb.)

@P4AHCF Lauren warns that a public option would undercut private insurance plans and squeeze them out of state marketplaces.

We can only hope that would happen, but it's likely that private plans would find a way to undercut the public plan instead!

@P4AHCF "Creating a public option actually eliminates options."

Wow, you are so clever! SMDH...

@P4AHCF Lauren warns that over a decade, a public option would cause 2 million individual plan ACA enrollees to lose their private coverage.

(And they'd probably be happy about that! ACA deductibles will be as high as $16,300 next year.)

@P4AHCF The host asks Lauren to explain "the difference between public option and Medicare for All."

@P4AHCF "No matter what you call it, whether Medicare for All, Medicare buy-in, or the public option, they do all lead to a one-size-fits-all government-run care."

LMAO. I finished typing this tweet before she finished speaking. So predictable.

@P4AHCF I'm almost 10 minutes into this interview and feeling more confident about #MedicareForAll than ever before. The @P4AHCF "executive director" is not at all convincing when she speaks, just the same tired talking-points over and over.

Snooze fest.

We're gonna win!

@P4AHCF The host asks Lauren if stuff like price transparency, etc. is also still on the table.

@P4AHCF ::excited tone from Lauren:: "I am really lucky that I get to work with so many different organizations, individuals, and patient groups that are all looking at how they improve our system."

LOL. Who are the patients?! Last one she talked to?! GMAFB.

@P4AHCF Lauren says the number one issue is costs.

@P4AHCF "We have very serious members of the Partnership who are putting their own proposals and ideas out there on how to address costs."

"Very Serious"

VeRy SeRiOuS

VERY SERIOUS!

DC is so awful.

@P4AHCF Lauren says organizations -- presumably Partnership members -- are "really leaning forward" to address costs.

"Leaning Forward"

LeAnInG fORwArD

LEANING FORWARD!

Again, DC is so awful.

@P4AHCF Brazenly lying, Lauren says that Medicare for All and public option proposals "actually don't address costs."

@P4AHCF This interview was conducted before the last Democratic primary debate. Notable is that the host keeps referring to the "Democrat debate" -- that's how Donald Trump and other Republicans refer to "Democratic" events.

@P4AHCF The host brings up some bullshit numbers about the cost of Medicare for All and asks Lauren if she thinks candidates will pivot based on the cost of the proposals.

@P4AHCF Lauren says Americans want "real plans with real cost estimates and then the American people will make a decision on what is best for them and the country."

If true, why is @P4AHCF spending millions to tell Americans what is best? Why not just let Americans decide?

@P4AHCF Lauren says she knows it's "really hard for many Americans to pay more for health care in the system that they currently like today."

LOL, WHAT?! She is not making a strong case for private insurance!

Her words are pure #MALARKEY!

@P4AHCF Lauren says "the trillion numbers are very real."

"the trillion numbers"

LMAO.

@P4AHCF The @P4AHCF strategy just seems to be trying to scare Americans out of supporting #MedicareForAll with random lies and dishonest bullshit.

@P4AHCF The host asks Lauren how his audience can get involved with @P4AHCF.

LOL.

@P4AHCF The host: "How can they contact you?"

@P4AHCF "OF COURSE!"

"Visit our Web site...we have a great 'take action' center where you can send a note to any of your members of Congress...!"

@P4AHCF "You can also follow us on Facebook or Twitter."

@P4AHCF Host: "Lauren, thank you for joining us this morning and sharing all the information about America's health care future. The Partnership is great. I went online, I really encourage the audience to go online and support their efforts and learn more about what's going on."

LMAO.

Really, if the best that @P4AHCF can do for their "executive director" is a 15-minute interview on right-wing talk radio in Washington State, I'm really not all that concerned about them winning the war over Medicare for All. This "Partnership" is a joke.

@P4AHCF Host: "She was great. That organization is great. I would go online. What I like about the organization -- and again you don't have to agree with one option or the other -- there's a plethora of information at America's health care future (dot) org."

LMAO.

@P4AHCF Host: They post a lot on their "Twitter site."

@P4AHCF Host says the "32 trillion over 10 years. That's a lot of sticker shock."

LOL. So predictable.

@P4AHCF The interview with @P4AHCF's "executive director" ends with an advertisement for "Southwest Washington's largest independent janitorial supply company."

Perfect.

@P4AHCF cc: @JStein_WaPo