We Can Change the Game: A Conversation with Michael Lighty — A Labor-Based Movement for Medicare for All
This week on Nurse Talk, Casey and Shayne speak with Michael Lighty, Director of Public Policy for National Nurses United and a Sanders Fellow.
“All workers have a shared interest…And in healthcare we need to tap into that. All workers have this fear [of lack of healthcare]. So many have the barriers to access: financial; not having the doctor they need in their network. All those barriers create an opening to say,
‘Hey, we are all in this together. We can guarantee healthcare for all, not just for some.’
Get out of the insurance frame and into the justice frame…build that mass demand…that’s the only thing that is going to overcome the money. Money is winning, but people power can overcome it.”
For over 25 years, Lighty has organized, written and spoken for improved Medicare for All. He is currently the lead policy analyst for a single-payer bill, SB 562, the Healthy California Act. Listen to the whole podcast on SoundCloud!
