by James Hoover / January 27th, 2016
CBS’s
60 Minutes often provides important information
about vulnerable and suffering Americans. Last Sunday, the program
centered on billionaires sharing their wealth with the needy and
forgotten people in some states deprived of health care, though the
60 Minutes segment doesn’t use the word deprived.
Where
60 Minutes fails in the health care segment involves
not informing the audience about the real circumstances leading to the
exclusion of health care services we all have a right to enjoy.
The
60 Minutes segment focuses on two registered nurses who
drive the Health Wagon through six counties in the Appalachian area,
providing free health care service to anyone in need. The Health Wagon’s
clients are the sick and uninsured, people not able to afford health
care, but still covered in 30 other states under Obamacare’s Medicaid
expansion.
The episode doesn’t mention why the expansion is refused in the 20
states, including those in the Appalachian area, only that those states
claim to fear the future cost. It is people who cannot afford to
purchase Obamacare, even with a subsidy, who seek help. The Obamacare
Medicaid expansion actually provides for these people in all states, and
includes those who earn 138% of the federal poverty level (FPL) or
less, the FPL being $15,856 for individuals.
The
60 Minutes segment only categorized them as falling in
the unintended gap of lost coverage, as though their exclusion is an
unintentional accident wrought by 20 states fearful of the expense. In
actuality, those 20 Republican-controlled states would save money by
instituting Medicaid expansion coverage under Obamacare. With no
apparent rationale for those states to refuse coverage, one could only
conclude that rejection of the coverage is only political.
When Scott Pelley first aired this segment in April of 2014 there
were 20 Republican states rejecting over 3 million people qualified for
coverage. He only said that the federal government covered the expense
for 3 years. Not mentioned was that Obamacare would
cover
90% of the cost in all the years thereafter. Also a disingenuous
exclusion was the fact that the Medicaid expansion coverage actually
saved money when considering the cost of alternative expenses (without
the coverage) for the uninsured sick, expenses like emergency room care.
Furthermore, since 2014, Indiana has opted into
coverage
while Alabama and South Dakota are considering it. A bitter fight
between newly elected Democrat, Governor McAuliffe, who seeks to expand
Medicaid, and the Republican legislature, which rejects expansion, is
still expected to shut out entitled Virginia residents. Last Sunday’s
60 Minutes, which repeated this April, 2014, segment, did not mention these
updates, including the GOP’s exclusion in most states they control.
The point can easily be made that mainstream media fails to cover the
truth about important issues and how those issues affect us and our
more vulnerable fellow citizens. Such issues must contribute to what and
whom we vote for. Withholding these truths only helps to contribute to
misinformed voting or to an inclination not to vote.
Even life or death situations like the poisoned water in Flint,
Michigan did not warrant informative reporting until MSNBC exposed
Republican governor Rick Snyder for his reckless disregard for life and
health, approving a new corrosive water source to save money. His action
or inaction had a direct connection to lead poisoning of children, even
ignoring for several months unsafe lead counts in their bloodstreams.
Though skirting the blame, the
60 Minutes segment did show
that policies have impacts on lives. For example, the one patient
treated by the Health Wagon, featured and interviewed by Scott Pelley,
died three months after the interview. It was pointed out that Linda
Moore, the patient, would probably still be alive if she had had health
coverage when Obamacare was implemented the first day of 2014. Pointed
out too were the neglected health risks such as cancer, diabetes, and
heart disease, including how accompanying pain and death could have and
should have been avoided.
We could well ask how many more will die as a result of dangerous
partisan games played by Republican-controlled states. There are still
17 Republican-controlled states that are responsible for this suffering,
even death. Standing in marked contrast to such heartless treatment are
the kind and dedicated people who assist these forgotten Americans.
Not speaking the truth about the political party that is to blame and —
what we can only conclude — are petty, spiteful, and partisan reasons
for not providing coverage to which Americans are entitled is wretched
and irresponsible.
This doesn’t just apply to CBS, but to all mainstream media. One can
expect bias and vitriol to emanate from Fox News and right-wing media,
but the corporate media has diffused blame for GOP obstruction for too
long over both parties.
Such treatment only encourages more of the same. For as Republicans
see no price is paid for their government shutdowns, budget blackmail
options, loan default threats, and crisis legislating, they are only
encouraged to do more of the same.
Since President Obama took office in January of 2009, the Republican
Party began its Machiavellian policies in earnest. Let me review just a
few of the most flagrant actions and lies, many bordering on traitorous.
Unbiased reporting would have rendered them ineffective:
• Before Obama’s first Inaugural Address in 2009, senior GOP members
of Congress had already met with conservative movement leaders and
Republican strategists and agreed to ignore the electoral mandate and
commit the party to a course of absolute obstruction, including spending
bills to dig us out of the recession.
• Mitch McConnell publically announced his number one priority to make Obama a one-term president on October 23, 2010.
• Lies perpetrated by Republicans, and these are just a few: Obama
doubled the deficit; Man-made climate change is a hoax; Tax cuts
stimulate the economy; Voter fraud is a serious issue; Obama not born in
US; Obamacare has ‘death panels.’
• Speaker of the House John Boehner violated a 216 year-old federal law
by “joining with the leader of a foreign nation, Benjamin Netanyahu,
against his own president.” Forty-eight GOP Senators undermined Obama
nuclear treaty with Iran.
• Republicans waste millions by voting to repeal Obamacare over 60 times since it was passed.
• List of things Republicans demanded under threat of a government
shutdown or default: balanced budget amendment; approved Keystone XL;
cut funding for Planned Parenthood; Medicare privatization; Paul Ryan
tax reform; defunding Obamacare (
shutdown15
days in October, 2013); Trillions in budget cuts (2012 near default and
resulting credit downgrade); accepting 10,000 Syrian refugees.
Such policies and actions should have been reported honestly and
without any bias. Right-wing media function as allies for the right-wing
cause. Mainstream media’s bias is more corporate in the vein of profit,
propriety or entertainment.
But the reasons are incidental. Right-wing and mainstream media in
their own way do damage. Right wing sources just cement the polarization
that conservatives must maintain to stay in power. Mainstream media is a
second punch that helps to promote a self-indulgent culture that feeds
on the material and philosophical goods of a crony capitalist system.
James Hoover is a recently retired systems
engineer. He has advanced degrees in Economics and English. Prior to
his aerospace career, he taught high school, and he has also taught
college courses. He recently published a science fiction novel called
Extraordinary Visitors and writes political columns on several websites.
Read other articles by James.
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