The United States doesn’t have a comprehensive healthcare “system.” It has a patchwork of coverage options that come with heavy price tags and complicated processes. Consistent GOP attacks have made the entire framework untenable, and the results speak for themselves. Healthcare coverage is deteriorating rapidly under Trump and there’s no going back at this point. This might be the opening we need to finally have a real conversation about Medicare for All. But there’s going to be a lot of pain between now and then.

Resources

KFF: ACA Marketplace Enrollment Is Down By 3 Million After Big Jump in Premium Payments

The New York Times: Uninsured Patients Rise Sharply, Hospitals Report, Citing Obamacare Cuts

Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker: How much and why ACA Marketplace premiums are going up in 2027

Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker: How much and why premiums are going up for small businesses in 2027

American Medical Association: Changes to Medicaid, the ACA and other key provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act

Common Dreams: Nearly 2.5 Million Children Have Lost Medicaid and CHIP—So Far—During Trump’s Second Term

STAT: The Trump administration is burying science and health care in paperwork

Book Love

Abdul El-Sayed + Micah Johnson: Medicare for All: A Citizen’s Guide

Steven Brill: America’s Bitter Pill: Money, Politics, Backroom Deals, and the Fight to Fix Our Broken Healthcare System

Paul Starr: The Social Transformation of American Medicine: The Rise of a Sovereign Profession and the Making of a Vast Industry

UNFTR Resources

Video: Healthcare Is Broken—And It’s Not Getting Better.

Essay: Merchants of Death.

Series: Healthcare.

Episode: Medicare for All.

Episode: Pharmacy Benefit Managers.

5 Non-Negotiables.

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The United States doesn&rsquo;t have a comprehensive healthcare &ldquo;system.&rdquo; It has a patchwork of coverage options that come with heavy price tags and complicated processes. Consistent GOP attacks have made the entire framework untenable, and the results speak for themselves. Healthcare coverage is deteriorating rapidly under Trump and there&rsquo;s no going back at this point. This might be the opening we need to finally have a real conversation about Medicare for All. But there&rsquo;s going to be a lot of pain between now and then.
Resources
KFF: <a href="https://www.kff.org/quick-insights/aca-marketplace-enrollment-is-down-by-3-million-after-big-jump-in-premium-payments/">ACA Marketplace Enrollment Is Down By 3 Million After Big Jump in Premium Payments</a>
The New York Times: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/30/business/aca-obamacare-health-insurance.html">Uninsured Patients Rise Sharply, Hospitals Report, Citing Obamacare Cuts</a>
Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker: <a href="https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/brief/how-much-and-why-aca-marketplace-premiums-are-going-up-in-2027/">How much and why ACA Marketplace premiums are going up in 2027</a>
Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker: <a href="https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/brief/how-much-and-why-premiums-are-going-up-for-small-businesses-in-2027/">How much and why premiums are going up for small businesses in 2027</a>
American Medical Association: <a href="https://www.ama-assn.org/health-care-advocacy/federal-advocacy/changes-medicaid-aca-and-other-key-provisions-one-big">Changes to Medicaid, the ACA and other key provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act</a>
Common Dreams: <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/children-s-medicaid-enrollment-trump">Nearly 2.5 Million Children Have Lost Medicaid and CHIP&mdash;So Far&mdash;During Trump&rsquo;s Second Term</a>
STAT: <a href="https://www.statnews.com/2026/09/01/white-house-science-medicaid-bureaucracy-paperwork/">The Trump administration is burying science and health care in paperwork</a>
Book Love
Abdul El-Sayed + Micah Johnson: <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/23377/9780190056629">Medicare for All: A Citizen&rsquo;s Guide</a>
Steven Brill: <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/23377/9780812986686">America&rsquo;s Bitter Pill: Money, Politics, Backroom Deals, and the Fight to Fix Our Broken Healthcare System</a>
Paul Starr: <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/23377/9780465093021">The Social Transformation of American Medicine: The Rise of a Sovereign Profession and the Making of a Vast Industry</a>
UNFTR Resources
Video: <a href="https://youtu.be/KePggwqs3oM">Healthcare Is Broken&mdash;And It&rsquo;s Not Getting Better</a>.
Essay: <a href="https://www.unftr.com/blog/merchants-of-death">Merchants of Death</a>.
Series:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.unftr.com/unftr-series/healthcare">Healthcare</a>.
Episode:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.unftr.com/episodes/unftr145">Medicare for All</a>.
Episode: <a href="https://www.unftr.com/episodes/unftr125">Pharmacy Benefit Managers</a>.
<a href="https://www.unftr.com/5nn">5 Non-Negotiables</a>.
--
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Become a member at <a href="https://www.unftr.com/memberships">unftr.com/memberships</a>.
Buy yourself some Unf*cking Coffee at <a href="https://shop.unftr.com/">shop.unftr.com</a>.
Visit our bookshop.org page at <a href="https://bookshop.org/shop/UNFTRpod">bookshop.org/shop/UNFTRpod</a> to find the full UNFTR book list, and find book recommendations from our Unf*ckers at <a href="https://bookshop.org/lists/unf-cker-book-recommendations">bookshop.org/lists/unf-cker-book-recommendations</a>.
Access the UNFTR Musicless feed by following the instructions at <a href="https://www.unftr.com/accessibility">unftr.com/accessibility</a>

Unf*cking The Republic® (UNFTR) is dedicated to progressive politics, leftist economic theories, and social justice in the United States. Join us for deep dives into socialism, labor rights, climate justice, and the fight against inequality. Whether you're curious about Marxist ideas, modern social movements, or progressive policies, UNFTR delivers thoroughly sourced critiques, analyses, and interviews with the historical context mainstream media won't provide. Subscribe for informative and unabashedly progressive coverage of the leftist political and economic landscape.

Unf*cking The Republic&reg; (UNFTR) is dedicated to progressive politics, leftist economic theories, and social justice in the United States. Join us for deep dives into socialism, labor rights, climate justice, and the fight against inequality. Whether you're curious about Marxist ideas, modern social movements, or progressive policies, UNFTR delivers thoroughly sourced critiques, analyses, and interviews with the historical context mainstream media won't provide. Subscribe for informative and unabashedly progressive coverage of the leftist political and economic landscape.