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By John Wojcik and Mark Gruenberg
OAKLAND, Calif.—A document leaked two years ago by someone in a corporate front group described a secret campaign, which continues today, to derail national support for Medicare for All.
The insurance companies, the pharmaceutical companies, and the American Hospital Association, in 2018, teamed up to form the Partnership for America’s Health Care Future, a fake “grassroots” lobby whose purpose was to derail what had become nationwide majority support, even among Republicans, for Medicare for All.
That support was so broad that in the early stages of the current campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination support for Medicare for All included not just Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, but also several of the so-called “moderate” candidates like Kamala Harris. Since then, by backing off that position, most of the Democratic candidates are at least questioning the feasibility of the Medicare-for-All program, if not saying it will take healthcare away from many who have it or even outright opposing it – both goals of the corporate lobbying group. A glance at the group’s website shows how the health industry is making good on its plans to bash Medicare for All.
The corporate “partnership” is about a lot more than just talking points, however. The “partners” dumped half a billion dollars into the 2018 congressional campaign on behalf of candidates who either opposed or had “concerns” about Medicare for All. Many of the Democrats swept into office in 2018 nevertheless supported Medicare for All, causing the “partnership” to step up its efforts for 2020. They are pouring dollars into campaigns on every level this cycle....
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