Re: Speech.
My thoughts summed up by the title of this article ("An Underwhelming Speech by a President Without a Plan"- Vox) and the contents of this one ("7 Takeaways From President Trump's Oval Office Address"- npr).
Also, I just read a Fox "News" article about the government shutdown and the Oval Office speech last night... it is exactly as delusional and hypocritical as you might think. I want to read every article I can to get a fully rounded prospective on how each side is viewing the shutdown, but YEESH! I would love an actual conservative view of this shutdown, from sources who at least try to use facts. Fox is not a credible news source, it is a vicious propaganda machine that lies to the American people and fuels hatred. The network is poison. /end rant
I don't know how this turned into a rant about Fox... What I wanted to discuss was something much more positive that may not be dominating the news cycle or it may not be news anywhere outside of New York, "[Mayor] DeBlasio Unveils Health Care Plan for Undocumented and Low-Income New Yorkers"! I think this is awesome! The NYT article (above) about the new plan is pretty comprehensive, as is this Politico article ("New York City to Beef Up Program Providing Health Care For All Residents").
Largely, I don't think people realize how much money we spend in taxes paying for low-income folks to get treatment in the Emergency Room. No shade to those who can't afford health care (that's most of us these days, you gotta do what you gotta do), but it shouldn't have to be the solution. Even though we are investing 100 million dollars into this Health Care Plan (NYC Care), it is going to be more cost efficient to steer uninsured people to primary care doctors, instead of the ER.
"Part of the goal of NYC Care, aides to the mayor said, was to direct people to medical care earlier — before they seek more expensive services in an emergency room — while providing them with better health care."
What I think it ultimately comes down to is this... We should not have to start a GoFundMe campaign if we get sick. We should not be dying or getting more and more sick because we fear medical bills. I have so many friends who have not gone to see a doctor for something that was ailing them (physically or mentally) because of lack of health insurance and the worry that the bills would be insurmountable. While this new plan certainly won't replace the need for a more national system to be put into place, but I think any move in this direction is a good one. I hope this move will encourage other cities to implement their own citywide health care for their low-income and undocumented residents.
"The mayor was quick to say that the plan would not be a substitute for any universal health care at the state level or a national single-payer plan. But, aides said, it was something the city could do immediately and on its own, without approval from the State Legislature, which is weighing some form of universal health insurance for New York State."
Keep the progressive policies coming, Mayor DeBlasio! (I have read that more are on the way!)