BLOGGING FOR HEALTHCARE REFORM

And maybe more...

Deaths from Uninsured or Underinsured 2

How You Can Show Your Support

ATTEND AN AUGUST EVENT If you see healthcare reform as an important issue, perhaps the most important issue in decades, you may be getting frustrated and wondering how you can make your views known. One way is to contact your lawmakers (see sidebar). Another is to attend an event. Opponents of healthcare reform are organizing to show up at town hall meetings all over the country, and where they are in the minority, they sit in strategic spots in the audience and interrupt the speaker. They've already caught the attention of the media. Free speech is fine, but we can't allow a minority of shouters to monopolize the debate. Go to the above site and commit to attending one event in the month of August.

Blogging About Healthcare and maybe more...

How does that ad go? "This isn't a liberal or conservative issue, it's a human issue." They're talking about the environment, but it could apply to healthcare reform as well, at least in the US. That's not altruism for the 48 million and counting uninsured. It's good old American "what's in it for me" thinking for both the uninsured and the currently insured who could find themselves uninsured at any moment.

Even if you've already taken sides on healthcare reform––especially if you have––I urge you to read these posts and simply consider these points. I have a writing blog and a book review blog, and I swore I'd never add my voice to the cacophony of angry voices blogging on politics. Only there are so many people adding their voices who don't have a clue what they are talking about, that I figured my more than 10 years experience working in benefits––most of it looking for ways to contain costs without cutting benefits––might actually add something to the conversation (if you can call it that).

I promise not to make statements I can't back up with experience or research. In return I ask that you approach my posts with an open mind, and when you comment, which I hope you will, make the comments civil so that they invite further discussion. Also, please comment on this blog rather than dragging the discussion to your own blogs, so that we can all take part.

I'm open to guest posts on either side, so long as they are well-informed and cite sources. Contact me

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Obama's Speech to Congress: Did It Do the Trick?

Many of us were hoping for one of those rousing campaign speeches by Barack Obama, sending us onward and forward for healthcare reform, and over all, I think he did a good job at appealing to our better angels. It's about time an American president pointed out that there are things only the government can do, and that you can't expect businesses to regulate themselves. Just a few short months ago, everybody was on board with that and ready to hang bank CEOs in effigy. I've always known Americans had short memories, but over the past few decades we've fallen into collective Alzheimer's. Which is why I don't get all the fretting from the Blue Dogs. By the next election most of their constituents won't even remember there was a healthcare debate, let alone how their members of Congress voted on it.

The president came out a little stronger on the public option than members of his administration were hinting he would. I have to believe it had something to do with all those petitions from Progressive organizations.

To my progressive friends, I would remind you that for decades, the driving idea behind reform has been to end insurance company abuses and make coverage affordable for those without it. The public option is only a means to that end – and we should remain open to other ideas that accomplish our ultimate goal.


Can't disagree with that. I just don't know what other means there would be. Certainly not silly ideas like coops, but maybe Senator Baucus will be so tickled at having been singled out for his payment plan, that he'll drop that non-starter.

Here's my question, though. If it's true, as members of the Obama administration have been saying lately, that the public option is such a small part of reform that it could be jettisoned for the sake of compromise, then why do the private insurers take it so seriously? If people like House Minority Leader John Boehner believe so strongly that the government can't run anything, then why are they saying a public option would drive private insurers out of business? Of course, I should know better than to look for logic in any of this.

It's not time to quit yet. Click on these sites to learn what you can do to support the public option.

Pledge to donate a symbolic minimum of $3.26 to members of Congress who support the public option.

Call the White House: 202-456-1111

Call Your Representative in Congress: 202-224-3121

Call Your Senators: 202-224-3121

Then go to Senator Russ Feingold's site to let him know you called.

Call your own Representative.
Posted by at
Labels: , , , , ,

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)