Fox News host Jesse Watters apparently has great health insurance so it’s no biggie to him that 27 million Americans have none. Nor did he seem to mind that thanks to Donald Trump, millions more stand to lose theirs and/or become under insured.
Media Matters caught Watters’ comments on yesterday’s The Five. Watters was bemoaning the support for Medicare-for-all plans by the Democratic candidates in the July 30, 2019 debate:
JESSE WATTERS (CO-HOST): I don't know about you guys, but I like my healthcare. I go to the doctor, I check in, I give a $5 copay, he tells me I'm fine, I leave, I do no paperwork. It's great -- and 180 million Americans feel that way. Only 27 million Americans do not have health insurance right now. Let's focus on them instead of tearing the whole system down.
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So many great things have been done through Aetna, Blue Cross and Blue Shield. I don't think these are evil companies. I think these are good companies that need to bring costs down, and there's ways to do that without destroying a great system.
I'm glad Watters only has a $5 copay. But some people, like me, have much higher copays and deductibles. They make me and many others, I'm sure, think twice about going to the doctor. And, if, like me, you unknowingly get treatment at an in-network facility from an out-of-network doctor, well, you can have months of red tape and a big bill to pay.
Even worse, thanks to Trump’s efforts to destroy the system we have, i.e. Obamacare, 21 million more, like me, stand to lose their insurance along with any future protection for pre-existing conditions, basic coverage and protection against annual and lifetime maximums. Where’s Watters’ outrage about that?
Then there are those whose insurance doesn’t cover their actual medical costs. During that debate, Sen. Elizabeth Warren told the story of Ady Barkan, suffering from ALS, whose “comparatively good” health insurance still leaves his family with about $9,000 out-of-pocket costs every month. They rely on friends, family and a GoFundMe campaign. Wanna bet Watters would quickly change his tune if that was a member of his family?
Meanwhile, people like Barkan and the rest of us grappling or struggling with medical bills are just part of the insignificant millions to “I got mine, too bad about you” Watters.
Published with permission of NewsHounds.us
