Key Points

  • President Joe Biden said the federal Medicare program should negotiate prices for at least 50 prescription drugs each year, up from the current target of 20 medicines.
  • That proposal is one of several new health-care policy plans Biden will outline during his State of the Union address Thursday.
  • But the fate of his new proposals will be in the hands of a divided Congress, making it highly uncertain whether they will pass into law.
    • FlowVoid@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      I said GDP is the sum of all incomes. That’s a basic axiom of macroeconomics, but you disagreed.

        • FlowVoid@lemmy.world
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          8 months ago

          Because it includes investments and so it is a better indicator of need than wage.

          There are plenty of people who have small wages/salary, or even zero wages/salary, and instead rely on investment income.

          For example, most landlords. Or retired people. Or the idle wealthy, like the various unemployed children of billionaires. Jeff Bezos has a salary of roughly $80K at Amazon. But he is way better off than someone with a salary of $90K.

          If you look at wages instead of overall income, you might think some of those folks are struggling when they absolutely aren’t.

          • go_go_gadget@lemmy.world
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            8 months ago

            Sounds like you’re admitting a rising GDP doesn’t help people below the median. You completely lost the context of the conversation.

            • FlowVoid@lemmy.world
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              8 months ago

              Some of those people are definitely below median, like many retirees struggling to live off their life savings.

              But in general, a rising GDP does not target people below median income. That’s exactly why Democrats prefer additional spending that is specifically targeted towards those people.

              • go_go_gadget@lemmy.world
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                8 months ago

                Jesus you are obtuse.

                … or we could increase the median?

                That amounts to increasing GDP, given that GDP is the sum of everyone’s income. Which is something that pretty much every government tries to do.

                I didn’t bring up the GDP. You did.

                • FlowVoid@lemmy.world
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                  8 months ago

                  Yes, increasing median income amounts to increasing GDP.

                  And increasing median income is preferable to increasing median wages, because it also helps people who are struggling to survive off their life savings.

                  Everyone wants higher income, but an elderly retiree no longer cares about higher wages.

                  • go_go_gadget@lemmy.world
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                    8 months ago

                    And increasing median income is preferable to increasing median wages, because it also helps people who are struggling to survive off their life savings.

                    Lol. No. Our GDP has been increasing steadily for decades and quality of life has deteriorated for most Americans while billionaires are absorbing most of that growth.

                    Turns out you’re the one advocating for the rich and boomers while fucking everybody else in the process.