Artie and Beatrice host an introductory session discussing the intersection of healthcare, disability, and left politics. They challenge the idea of personal responsibility for health, explore how capital shapes the healthcare system, and advocate for publicly managed healthcare and the abolition of the private health insurance industry.
The political economy of health needs a complete reshaping to prioritize care for all people and challenge oppressive and extractive systems.
Healthcare should be seen as a collective struggle, requiring a reshaping of the entire political economy, rather than superficial reforms.
Deep dives
Overview of the Podcast Episode
In this podcast episode, the hosts discuss a series of sessions focused on the political economy of health and disability that they organized for the Socialism Conference. These sessions cover various topics, including health and capital, how capitalism kills and COVID-19, resisting carceral sanism, decolonial disability politics, and state austerity and the politics of healthcare. The hosts emphasize that healthcare is not separate from other social issues, and they argue that the capitalist approach to healthcare is fundamentally flawed. They call for a complete reshaping of the political economy of health to prioritize care for all people, challenging the systems of oppression and extractive cruelty embedded in the current healthcare system.
The Interconnectedness of Health and Capital
The hosts explain how health is intricately tied to capitalism, as it serves as a measure of an individual's capacity for work and labor discipline. They argue that healthcare is not just an individual responsibility but should be seen as a collective struggle. They stress the need to reshape the entire political economy of health, rather than making superficial reforms to the existing healthcare system, in order to prioritize people's well-being over the preservation of labor value.
The Political Economy of Health and Unmet Needs
The hosts highlight the political economy's influence on what is considered healthcare and what is not. They examine the exclusion of mental healthcare, vision and dental care, and long-term care from the conventional definition of healthcare. They argue that the limited scope of healthcare is due to capitalist priorities and the emphasis on preserving labor value. They also emphasize the importance of meeting unmet needs in areas such as housing, clean air, food, water, and long-term care, as these have a significant impact on overall health and well-being.
The Threat of Private Health Insurance and the Path Forward
The hosts discuss the escalating presence of private health insurance in public insurance markets and the need for its abolition. They warn that introducing a public option administered by private insurers, as seen in Medicaid, would only perpetuate the flaws of the current system. They advocate for the complete removal of private health insurance to achieve 'all care for all people.' They call for a conversation on how to reshape the political economy and dismantle capitalist influence in healthcare delivery and provision.
Earlier this month we collaborated with the organizers the Socialism Conference to put together five sessions at this year’s conference on the political economy of health and disability. Each of these sessions is live now for patrons, and we'll be posting one a day in the main feed, all week.
In this session, "Health and Capital (Intro)," Beatrice and Artie discuss some ways to think about the intersection of healthcare, disability, and left politics, and introduce each of the rest of the sessions.
Thanks to Han Olliver for our Death Panel x Socialism Conference 2023 poster image, which is being used as the cover image for this episode on platforms that support it. Find and support Han's work at hanolliver.com
Transcript: https://www.deathpanel.net/transcripts/s23-health-and-capital
Timecodes:
0:00 - Introduction to session recordings and thanks from the Panel
4:50 - Session recording begins
Find our book Health Communism here: www.versobooks.com/books/4081-health-communism
Pre-order Jules' new book here:
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/733966/a-short-history-of-trans-misogyny-by-jules-gill-peterson/
Death Panel merch here (patrons get a discount code): www.deathpanel.net/merch
As always, support Death Panel at www.patreon.com/deathpanelpod
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