Conservatives have , argues , the Charles E. and Dale L. Phelps Professor in Public Policy and Health and an associate professor of聽. Raz is also a practicing hospitalist at the聽
鈥淭aking aim at Medicare, which is popular and a political third rail for elected officials, is risky,鈥� writes Raz in a聽. 鈥淏ut the Trump administration thinks it has a winning strategy for doing so: embracing the nearly century-old conservative health-care tactic of warning about the threat of socialized medicine.鈥�
According to Raz, who traces Medicare鈥檚 history, these threats do not protect health-care services for consumers, but 鈥渟imply provide political cover for policies that benefit the industry at the expense of offering quality health care to Americans.鈥�
She continues: 鈥淭rump鈥檚 executive order was initially titled 鈥楶rotecting Medicare From Socialist Destruction鈥� and subsequently renamed 鈥楶rotecting and Improving Medicare for Our Nation鈥檚 Seniors.鈥� The stated threat of socialized medicine has routinely been used to deter politicians and voters from supporting policies that would expand access to health care or control rising costs.鈥�
Raz, an expert in public policy and health, is the author of聽What鈥檚 Wrong with the Poor? Psychiatry, Race and the War on Poverty聽(University of North Caroline Press, 2013) and聽The Lobotomy Letters: The Making of American Psychosurgery聽(人妻少妇专区, 2013). She鈥檚 currently working on her third book鈥攁 history of child abuse policy in the United States from the 1970s to today.
- Read the complete op-ed in the聽.
- Read Raz鈥檚 previous Washington Post op-ed on former Vice President Joe Biden鈥檚 record player comment.
