ʻO Marc Weisbrot
Heaha
ʻO nā palena o ka manaʻoʻiʻo hui i ka makahiki 2000? E ʻike paha mākou.
ʻO nā hui lāʻau lapaʻau, ʻoi aku ka nui o ka loaʻa kālā ma mua o ʻekolu manawa
ʻO ka awelika o nā hui ʻē aʻe, ua hoʻohana i kā lākou clout nui e pale
ka uhi ʻana i ka lāʻau lapaʻau no ka poʻe pōmaikaʻi Medicare.
Ano,
e ʻike mākou inā he kumu kūʻai kālaiʻāina e uku ʻia no ka hahau ʻana i ka
ʻelemakule a me ka poʻe kīnā i ka makahiki koho.
E
ʻAʻole maopopo i ka poʻe he nui ke kumu e mālama ai kēia mau hui nunui
inā ʻo Medicare, ka polokalamu ʻinikua ola kino a ke aupuni no ka poʻe ʻelemakule
a ʻo ka poʻe maʻi kīnā, e hāʻawi i ka uhi lāʻau lapaʻau. Akā aia kahi
ʻO ke kumu nui e pili ana: ʻaʻole makemake nā hui lāʻau i ke aupuni
ke kuai nui ana i keia mau laau, a nolaila ke kukakuka ana no ke kumukuai emi.
Currently,
nā poʻe ʻelemakule i nele i ka uhi ʻana i ka lāʻau lapaʻau- ma kahi o ka hapakolu o ka poʻe ʻelemakule
ka heluna kanaka– ke ʻoki ʻia nei no kā lākou mau lāʻau. ʻO kahi haʻawina Congressional hou
ua ʻike ʻia ua ʻoi aku ka nui o kā lākou uku ma mua o ʻelua mau kālā no ka lāʻau lapaʻau maʻamau
nā lāʻau lapaʻau e like me nā mea kūʻai aku i makemake nui ʻia e nā hui lāʻau, e like me nā HMO.
No ka
ʻaʻole maikaʻi ka poʻe ʻelemakule, ma ka awelika, ʻaʻole ia he mea kupanaha ke loaʻa nā noiʻi
e hōʻike ana i ka ʻelima miliona mau kānaka makua e koho ana ma waena o ka lāʻau lapaʻau
nā lāʻau lapaʻau a me nā meaʻai.
a hiki i
he mau pule i hala aku nei ua koi ka ʻoihana lāʻau e ʻae wale lākou
ʻO Medicare e uhi i nā lāʻau lapaʻau inā hāʻawi ʻia kēia mau mea ma o HMO a i ʻole
nā hoʻolālā pilikino ʻē aʻe. Ma kahi o 16 pakeneka o nā mea kōkua Medicare i kēia manawa
i kākau inoa ʻia ma ia mau papahana.
In
pane aku i ke noi a Peresidena Clinton i ka mahina o Iune i hala no ka Medicare palena loa
ʻO ka uhi ʻana i ka lāʻau lapaʻau, ua hoʻohana ka ʻoihana i nā miliona ma nā pāʻoihana TV hoʻopunipuni.
"Flo," i hōʻike ʻia i loko o kēia mau mea i loaʻa i ka mea kōkua Medicare
nā pāʻoihana, e haʻi ana i ka poʻe nānā ʻaʻole makemake ʻo ia i "nui
aupuni ma kaʻu keʻena lāʻau lapaʻau."
Clinton
e hoʻi i hope me kāna mau jabs ponoʻī, a i kēia manawa ua ʻōlelo ka ʻoihana, ʻae, hiki iā ʻoe
hāʻawi i ka uhi no ka papahana Medicare holoʻokoʻa, inā lōʻihi ke kūʻai ʻana
hana ʻia e nā hui pilikino.
keia
lawe i kekahi aʻalolo. ʻO wai ka mea i koho i kēia poʻe? He mea pilikia iki, e
e ʻōlelo iki, e ʻike iā lākou e haʻi ana i ka Pelekikena i kāna mea hiki a hiki ʻole ke noi
e hoʻomāmā i ke kaumaha o ka mālama ola kino no ka poʻe ʻelemakule.
ka
pane maʻamau o PhRMA (ka Pharmaceutical Manufacturers of America: budget
$52 miliona) ʻo ia ka mea e pono ai lākou i kā lākou mau waiwai monopoly i mea e loaʻa ai nā kālā āpau
noiʻi a hoʻomohala e lawe mai iā mākou i nā lāʻau lapaʻau hou. Akā, hoʻonui wale kēia
nā nīnau koʻikoʻi e pili ana i ke kaʻina holoʻokoʻa o ke kālā noiʻi olakino.
mai ka
he hiʻohiʻona hoʻokele waiwai, ʻo ka hāʻawi ʻana i nā monopolies i nā mea patent-patent
ʻaʻole ʻo ia ke ala kūpono loa o ke kālā noiʻi a me ka hoʻomohala ʻana.
ʻAʻole kūpono nā monopolies unregulated i ka laulā, e alakaʻi ana i nā kumukūʻai kiʻekiʻe a me
liʻiliʻi ka loaʻa ma mua o ka mea maikaʻi loa no ke kaiāulu.
A
ʻO kekahi o nā kumu e hoʻokaʻawale ai ko mākou aupuni i ʻumi mau piliona kālā i kēlā me kēia
makahiki i ka noiʻi lapaʻau. ʻOiaʻiʻo, ma kahi o ʻekolu hapahā o nā lāʻau maʻi maʻi
ʻike ʻia me ke kōkua o nā haʻawina aupuni. He ʻoiaʻiʻo nō kēia no ka AIDS nui
nā lāʻau lapaʻau e like me ddI, d4t, Ziagen, Norvir, a me nā mea ʻē aʻe. Akā ʻo nā hui lāʻau lapaʻau mau nō
me he mea lā e pau me nā patents– a me ka hiki ke uku i nā kumukūʻai exorbitant
($8900 i ka makahiki no Norvir).
So
Loaʻa pālua ka pōmaikaʻi o nā mea kūʻai aku ʻAmelika: mua mākou e hāʻawi kālā, me kā mākou
ʻauhau kālā, ka noiʻi e hana ana i nā lāʻau lapaʻau. A laila loaʻa iā mākou ka uku kiʻekiʻe loa
nā kumukūʻai ma ka honua- ʻelua ʻoi aku ka nui o ka poʻe Kanada a i ʻole ʻEulopa e uku iā lākou. Akā naʻe
ʻAʻole ʻae ʻia mākou e lawe mai i kēia mau lāʻau mai nā ʻāina i kūʻai nui ʻia lākou
ʻoi aku ka maikaʻi. (Me he mea lā ʻaʻole laʻa ka loina o ke kālepa manuahi ma hope
a pau).
aka,
ʻoi aku ka ʻino ma mua o kēlā: ʻo ka waiwai monopoly o nā hui lāʻau lapaʻau a laila pōʻai
hoʻi e hoʻopaʻa kālā i nā mea a pau e mālama ai i ka ʻōnaehana: hoʻopaʻa nui ($148
miliona i nā makahiki ʻelua i hala iho nei), nā haʻawina hoʻolaha koho, a me PhRMA.
ʻAʻole e haʻi i ka $ 8,000- $ 13,000 no ke kauka a ka ʻoihana e hoʻolilo i kēlā me kēia makahiki
ke kuai ana i kona mau waiwai, kuai makana, huakai, a me na mea maikai e ae
hoʻololi i kā lākou mau koho.
ka
ʻO ka hakakā ʻana ma luna o ka uhi ʻana i ka lāʻau lapaʻau no Medicare hoʻokahi wale nō i mua o ka
e hoʻoikaika i ka hoʻoponopono ʻana i kā mākou ʻōnaehana mālama ola, ʻaneʻane ʻelua ʻoi aku ka nui o nā kumukūʻai o
ʻO nā ʻāina hoʻomohala ʻē aʻe e waiho mau ana i ka 44 miliona ʻAmelika ʻaʻole i hōʻoia ʻia. ʻO ka
ʻO ke keʻakeʻa nui ʻē aʻe i ka hoʻoponopono holoʻokoʻa ʻo ia wale nō ka ʻoihana e hoʻolilo hou aku
lobbying ma mua o ka ʻoihana lāʻau lapaʻau: ʻinikua. A hiki i ka wā e uhaʻi ai mākou i ka paʻa
paʻa kēia mau ʻoihana i nā kulekele aupuni, ka hoʻoponopono mālama ola kino a mākou
e noho ʻole ka pono.
Mark
ʻO Weisbrot ka luna hoʻomalu o ka Center for Economic and Policy Research in
Washington, DC.