Thread by @VincentRK

1.5 million US households have a net worth >10 million. They could pay for their own healthcare.

For the remaining 100 million, healthcare is so expensive one serious illness can wipe out your entire fortune. Not something you can save enough for. We need universal healthcare.

For example, for the disease I treat, multiple myeloma the annual cost of medicines alone is $200,000 to 300,000 or more. This can go on for >10 years. Each new treatment costs $20,000 to $30,000 a month.

Add to it cost of doctors fees, hospitalizations, lab tests, and imaging.

We depend on being able to be insured, having affordable premiums, and having adequate coverage.

Any one piece that’s affected will be a huge problem.

All 3 are threatened.

In other developed countries, the public has peace of mind that healthcare costs won’t threaten their lives, their savings, retirement, or net worth.

We have made some progress in ensuring no one can be denied insurance. But we need to move forward and improve. Not go backwards

We have 30% of the world’s wealth. If we decide to provide affordable high quality healthcare to every citizen, we can. And we can do it better than every other country.

We just need the will.