New York City, March 3—Today 150-200 healthcare workers, medical students, Aids organizers, municipal and CUNY (City University) retirees and others picketed the big Pharma profiteer, Pfizer, and then marched through the streets of midtown Manhattan. Angry chants like “Pfizer’s greed kills” and speeches denounced the capitalist medical system which forces millions to choose between food, rent and prescription drugs. In addition, many protesters called for support for a single payer health plan (e.g., Medicare for all, paid by the government) to take “excess” profits out of the hands of healthcare profiteers. While it is important to call out the greedy healthcare industry, we in Progressive Labor Party (PLP) explain that a system that doesn’t meet the medical needs of the working class doesn’t deserve to exist. In the U.S., Black and Latin workers are the most likely to lack access to quality medical care and needed medications. It was disappointing to see that few Black workers took part in this demonstration, since because of racist conditions, Black and Latin workers face the worst health and health care coverage. Perhaps it was because the union movement was noticeably absent. Union misleaders have opted to divide the working class by merely protecting their members, who have medical and drug coverage, while largely ignoring the needs of workers who do not. Retiree organizers at today’s march are fighting against that kind misleadership, which weakens the working class and in effect helps, put more money back into the bosses’ pockets.
Some organizers of today’s march put forward a divisive chant, “Health care is a right, not just for the rich and white.” Instead of equating white workers with their bosses, we should be promoting struggle and unity. At demonstrations to stop hospital closings we’ve had better chants, such as “Health care is a right, fight fight fight” and “Men and women, Black and white to win better health care we must unite.”Moreover even a single tax payer system, or medicare for all will not guarantee good health for all, because under capitalism there is no incentive to maximize the health of anyone who is not working– be it the unemployed, disabled, old, or imprisoned.
Participating in the movement against medical industry profiteers is necessary as we fight to survive in this racist capitalist system and helps us show our friends why communist revolution is needed to insure equal access to medical care.