Monday, August 17, 2009

It's time to march in favor of REAL health care reform!

I saw in the news today that it looks like Obama is backing away from a public provider option for health care reform. I find this very distressing! For many reasons, meaningful health care reform is not possible without a public option (sorry – health care cooperatives just don’t cut it!)

It’s time for a March On Washington by anyone who has ever been denied coverage (either health or disability), been denied service by an insurer, has a pre-existing condition, or simply can't afford health care insurance. (That makes about 100% of the American public, doesn’t it?) If the Democratic outliers in Congress won't do the right thing and support a public option for fear of political fallout, it's time to give them political cover by visibly demonstrating that MEANINGFUL reform is what most Americans want! Obama's election made that mandate clear.

I’m sick of the wingnuts dictating the terms of the health care debate. It’s time for a March On Washington in favor of real reform. Push your friends, neighbors and any activists you know to support a March On Washington in favor of MEANINGFUL health care reform! The time for universal, cost-effective health care is now!

American health care today is an international embarrassment and a disgrace.

2 comments:

  1. Tonight I finally watched Michael Moore's movie on the American health care industry, "Sicko." Have you seen it? I agree with you that the U.S. desperately needs a public option. The insurance industry is fighting it tooth and nail, and most of our politicans are more interested in pleasing the lobbyists than helping their constituents.

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  2. Yes, I've seen the movie. Pretty embarrassing for us as a country. The problem is private insurers have had ample opportunity to reform their practices but they don't and won't: All incentives are for them to continue business as usual. Even non-profit HMOs are subject to out of control costs and inefficient practices. I simply don't understand the right-wing hysteria. And what many of them also don't seem to realize is that even if we do NOTHING, things will get worse in the future because what we have now, such as it is, is unsustainable. I'm convinced that a meaningful public option is the only way to bring insurance companies into line and force them to change. Nothing else seems to work. As you point out, the health insurance industry fights even the smallest changes tooth and nail! (And we're way past the point when even small changes will do us any good.)

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