COVID-19 crisis shows we
must change our economy
The COVID-19 crisis illustrates why we need to make fundamental changes in our economy.
Ill or injured people should not be deterred by out-of-pocket charges, networks or employment or immigration status from seeking and getting health care. The same goes for housing, food, utilities and other basic needs.
The underlying problem is that the needs of the market economy and its demand for profits too often take precedence over individuals’ and environmental needs. As shown by exit polls after the recent primaries, most people across the country now see the urgent need for a simplified national health insurance like Medicare for All, one that pays for comprehensive care for everybody and costs less.
Similarly, if the market economy can’t provide housing that everybody can afford, then the government should build it — real estate interests should not prevent it.
Many measures that used to be portrayed as “too radical” now seem eminently sensible.
John Miller
San Jose
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