I’ve written before about Abdul El-Sayed, the exciting progressive candidate in Michigan’s Democratic gubernatorial primary. When I first heard about El-Sayed, I wasn’t sure what to make of him: He has impeccable credentials as a physician and educator, but limited experience in politics. But I admired his combination of unapologetically left political positions with pragmatic policy proposals, which seems like an effective and promising model. Now, El-Sayed has released his plan for a full single-payer healthcare program in Michigan. And it’s incredible.

Just have a look at the 25-page proposal El-Sayed has released for “MichCare,” a plan to implement a “Medicare for All” program for the state of Michigan. It’s bold and brilliant: First, El-Sayed draws on his personal experience as a doctor and healthcare researcher to show that Michigan’s health outcomes lag behind both the rest of the United States and the other industrial countries, with 600,000 people in the state lacking adequate medical coverage and insurance costs rising significantly every year. Then, El-Sayed lays out a clear and comprehensible solution: MichCare.

The MichCare policy document is something of a masterpiece. Not only does it make state-level single-payer seem like it isn’t a “left-wing pipe dream,” it convincingly argues that it’s both feasible and essential. And it combines scholarly rigor (every contestable assertion has an endnote with an academic source) with clear, accessible language that helps voters understand exactly what’s being proposed, how it would be implemented, and what it would do for them. El-Sayed carefully compares MichCare to the existing system of healthcare delivery, showing precisely how people’s costs would be reduced.

He goes through various types of income levels and family structures, showing how much each category would stand to save on insurance costs. And he explains exactly how it’s going to be paid for. He’s even worked out how to use his position in the governor’s office to get the program passed and implemented: 

A Governor’s Office for Healthcare Transformation will be established on the first day of the ElSayed administration to start working immediately to make MichCare a reality. The initial priorities for the office will include working with legislators to introduce a MichCare bill, engaging stakeholders across the state, applying for federal waivers, and developing financing plans that are fully compliant with state and federal laws. Like other government health plans and private insurance plans, MichCare must determine and update the specifics of reimbursement rates to providers, create pharmaceutical formularies, and determine specific benefits covered by the plan. These tasks will be implemented by an appointed MichCare Board consisting of Michigan state officials, healthcare professionals, academics, and health system experts. The MichCare agency and its leadership team will be housed in the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and will be responsible for administering the MichCare insurance plan and processing claims for MichCare enrollees.

I didn’t select the most inspiring quote from the proposal. Far from it. But I think this shows clearly what I love about El-Sayed’s plan: He’s done his homework. He’s thought it through. He has answers to every question people might have. As you read it, you begin not only to believe single-payer in Michigan is a good idea, but to wonder why it wasn’t implemented long ago, and conclude the state needs it right away. And because he’s sorted out everything from the budget to the coverage to the logo, it almost seems as if MichCare does exist. That’s why I call this proposal incredible: Not only has El-Sayed worked out the full details of a pragmatic single-payer program, but he’s presented it in a way that challenges anyone to make the argument that it’s a “fantasy” that will “never, ever happen.” If you think that the left doesn’t know how to make its proposals actually work, meet Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, public health scholar and former director of the Detroit Health Department. He can tell you exactly how it will work, and answer every question from “Where will you get the money?” to “How will this interact with the provisions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA)?”

There are a few other noteworthy features of the plan. First, El-Sayed shows how it connects to the opioid crisis and rising suicide rates, explaining how everything fits together as part of a comprehensive plan to tackle the state’s most serious social problems. Second, he makes everything about Michigan. He shows that he knows the state frontwards and backward, and adapts his plan to serve the unique needs of his particular constituency. I think that’s crucial for progressive politics: We can’t talk in general terms about abstract people, we have to show that we know about the particular lives that individuals live, and have answers for their lives rather than just “humankind as a whole.” Running through the document is a deep understanding of (and clear love for) the people of Michigan. Third, El-Sayed doesn’t evade the hard questions. He knows that single-payer requires raising revenue through taxes, and he says it, but he finds every way he can to show clearly that the benefits people would receive through reduced premiums and deductibles would far outweigh the increased taxes. The MichCare plan feels honest, like it’s never hiding the ball or ducking a tough criticism.

(Continue Reading)

Michigan! Don’t Forget to vote on August 7th!

I love that he included the car insurance quote in the graphic.  Why would it drop your car insurance rates? Because your high liability quotes are to pay for the injuries of everyone in an accident.  And it’s high because the insurance company creates a pool of all their subscribers to pay for said injuries, cause that’s basically what they are.  If the state’s paying all healthcare now, then insurance companies don’t have to pay unless you go out of state. Ergo, your liability quotes drop.

Advance voting in the general election starts today. The Electoral Commission forecasts that up to 50 per cent of voters may end up using it this year. It means that anyone can go along to any of the polling places around the country and cast your vote, and you don’t need to give any justification for going early.

It’s super important to note that if you have not yet enrolled to vote in the 2017 general election, you still can up to Friday 22 September.  You can enrol and vote on the same day at an advance voting place, but you can’t enrol only on election day itself.  Here’s the Electoral Commission’s webpage about how to enrol and what to expect.

You are qualified to enrol and vote if:

• you are 18 years or older AND
• you are a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident AND
• you have lived in New Zealand for one year or more continuously at some point.

You cannot enrol and vote if you are a:

• New Zealand citizen who has not been in New Zealand within the last three years; or
• permanent resident of New Zealand who has not been in New Zealand within the last 12 months.

The estimated 800,000 people who could vote but didn’t in the last election could make an enormous difference to the outcome.

(graphic from RockEnrol)

this is so important!! if you will be 18 on or before 11/8/16 you are eligible to vote in ohio on tuesday. they have been throwing away the ballots for the past 2 elections.

🇺🇸 know your rights, ohio is one of 22 states where 17-yr-olds can vote 🇺🇸

       The deadline for voter registration in PA is March 28. register online