Political Issues: Peace Prize and Healthcare

Trump's Nobel Peace Prize

I'd like to say Trump, Kim, Moon, and Xie deserve the Nobel Peace prize, but I think it would require Trump to make a public statement denouncing racism. The trouble is that he lies so often and words seem to mean so little to him that nobody would believe him. So, I think we will have to wait for observable results before any discussion of prizes can be taken seriously.

U.S. Healthcare

During the 2007-08 period there was a lot of talk about a "public option" to ensure everyone would have a healthcare choice they wanted. That didn't happen, but in light of the constant Republican attack on the PPACA/ACA/Obamacare, the threat of converting fully to Medicare for All has continued. It occurs to me that a good hybrid would be to offer to people who don't qualify for employer-backed insurance or regular ACA coverage or other kinds, Medicare as their Public Option. Add on top of that the idea that if the ACA goes away then Medicare would be open to more people and it would tend to take healthcare off the table as a political issue. The question of whether the ACA is to be eliminated would no longer require political fights or legislation. It would simply automatically enable people to switch to the public option Medicare. There are other benefits of the ACA which are very useful and provide ample reason it should not be removed, but at least people who can afford Medicare wouldn't be kicked brutally to the roadside. The other issue is the subsidy and that is integral and important for the ACA and a good reason to keep it. I have yet to hear the "Medicare for All" backers explaining how the subsidy would work in their system. Marrying those two ideas would be useful.