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Sally C. Pipes, Pacific Research Institute’s president and CEO and the Thomas W. Smith Fellow in Health Care Policy, was voted the winner of the Intelligence Squared Debate event “Replace Private Insurance with Medicare For All” in New York City. Ms. Pipes argued against the replacement of private health insurance with debate partner Nick Gillespie, editor of Reason magazine, in front of a live audience in New York.
“As we have heard tonight, healthcare is tricky. It’s one of the few public policy issues that affects every one of us and often does so when we are at our most vulnerable. Perhaps tonight’s debate convinced that America’s healthcare system is in need of change. I agree with you. Private insurance is not perfect but I hope that you will vote against the proposition because I believe that Medicare for all would leave us all much worse off,” said Pipes in her closing statement at the debate.
“…several years ago, my own mother died of colon cancer, after doctors ordered her as a senior, to wait for a colonoscopy…she was denied that and she died two weeks later from metastasized colon cancer. My families experience with single payer is not unique. Countless families in Canada and the United Kingdom have stories like mine…We can stop single payer from taking root in this country. We can say no the false promises offered by politicians about Medicare for all…”
Ms. Pipes and Mr. Gillespie debated against Adam Gaffney, a pulmonary specialist at the Cambridge Health Alliance and Harvard Medical School and president of the Physicians for a National Health Program and Joseph Sandberg, co-founder of Aspiration and Chair of CalEITC4Me, who advocated for the replacement of private insurance.
Pipes and Gillespie were voted winners of the debate by 51 percent of the live audience.
Moderator John Donvan mentioned that the opening and closing debate statements by Ms. Pipes and the other presenters were among the best statements given at an Intelligence Squared Debates event.
Intelligence Squared is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that runs a debate series working to restore civility, reasoned analysis, and constructive public discourse to today’s media landscape. Intelligence Squared Debates brings elected officials, subject matter experts and executives together for conversation about pressing public policy issues.
Audience members said, “You really did such a fabulous job - you came across so knowledgeable but also compassionate - and I am sure the Canadian horror stories were a big factor in swaying the crowd!”
Another respondent said, “…but wanted to say again IMO your personal examples swung the vote. No one knows the policy arguments better than you but no one has all the personal examples either. A great combination!”
Ms. Pipes has written numerous books on healthcare and regularly publishes op-eds and speaks with media about healthcare in the United States. Her upcoming book is False Premise, False Promise: The Disastrous Reality of Medicare for All (Encounter 2020).
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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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