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Sally C. Pipes, Pacific Research Institute’s president, CEO and Thomas W. Smith Fellow in Health Care Policy, was voted the winner of a Soho Forum debate on the topic: "The COVID-19 pandemic makes it all the more urgent for the U.S. to install a system of Medicare for All."
Ms. Pipes argued against the replacement of private health insurance in front of an online audience in a livestream debate. The Soho Forum debate was held virtually in lieu of their regular, in-person debates in New York due to local COVID-19 public health orders.
Arguing in favor of the proposition was University of Massachusetts, Amherst professor Gerald Friedman, one of the nation's most prominent proponents of single-payer health care. He is the author of the book, The Case for Medicare for All. Friedman's study on California's 2017 single-payer legislation (Senate Bill 562) has been widely cited by proponents in their to-date unsuccessful quest for California to outlaw private health insurance in favor of a government-run system.
“Medicare for All would make it harder, not easier, to meet the challenges of this pandemic. It would leave us tragically unprepared for future public health crises. It would impose crippling costs on our government and the economy. And it would make the pain and indignities suffered by Canadians an everyday occurrence (in the United States),” said Pipes in her closing statement.
Following the debate, 73.3 percent of attendees voted to oppose the proposition, while 26.7 percent voted in favor. As Pipes moved more of the audience (13 percent) in favor of her position versus Friedman compared to an audience poll taken just before the event's start, she was declared the winner of the debate.
Ms. Pipes has written numerous books on healthcare and regularly publishes op-eds and speaks with media about healthcare in the United States. Her most recent book, False Premise, False Promise: The Disastrous Reality of Medicare for All (Encounter 2020), was an Amazon.com number one best seller for health law policy books.
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PACIFIC RESEARCH INSTITUTE
The mission of the Pacific Research Institute (PRI) is to champion freedom, opportunity, and personal responsibility for all individuals by advancing free-market policy solutions. Since its founding in 1979, PRI has remained steadfast to the vision of a free and civil society where individuals can achieve their full potential.
www.pacificresearch.org
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