Health Care
I just saw that Max Baucus got his healthcare bill through committee. It does not include the public option. It's not even a good compromise (although I don't believe there is a good compromise from the public option, not at this time...more on that below).
And I read this article, which tells me that one of my Senators (at least until I change my residency), Ron Wyden, is having closed door meetings with Obama to try to come to a compromise on the health care bill. Ron Wyden has never been for public health care. He had his own plan, which I read, but I'm sure he's not even going for that now.
I called Ron Wyden's office yesterday to voice my support for the public option. I should have done it earlier, and often. I'd like to think my calls matter, but I know that's only true if everyone else calls too. Mass movements have to be just that: mass. I hope other people make calls.
I'd like to think I'm for compromise, but I realized the other day that what I'm really for is picking your battles. I was never a big health care policy person - until I realized how strongly I really believe in the public option. I will not compromise on giving fair, affordable, and GOOD health care to people who would otherwise have nothing. I will not compromise on giving people a chance to see another day because they were able to afford their prescriptions. I will not compromise on providing what I think is a RIGHT, not a privilege. Every other industrialized country has some sort of a single-payer system or universal health care. And yes, their taxes are higher, but they have worked out their system in a way that their economies can still stay afloat (did you see that the EU got out of the recession long before we did?). All I can figure is that our rich and powerful simply don't care enough for the rest. Someone I know said their father once had a heart attack and chose not to take an ambulance to the hospital. His wife had to drive him in traffic. He could have died, so why did he do that? He knew from previous experience that he could never afford the ambulance bills because although he HAS insurance, they wouldn't cover it. Imagine if he didn't even have insurance!
So why the public option? I can't speak very eloquently on this matter, but this article from Rolling Stone is fantastic (thanks Murray). Here's another one that is slightly dated.
The news about the Baucus bill is so incredibly disheartening. I am lucky that I get good health care through my work, but when one in FIVE people in California, alone, are denied coverage even WHEN they have health care, no one is safe.
I want to get all of the elected officials in a room and say look, decision-making people, we didn't elect you to fail us. I want to get all the crazy people together who think the public option will make us socialist fascist grandparent-killers and have them listen to reason. If a watered-down nothing bill passes, it's likely some of these people will learn the hard way when they one day have trouble with the health care industry. But that's our attitude as Americans, right? Until a problem affects you, there's no problem at all.
Edit: Here is some more info and one place to take action. But call your Senators, call your Reps! Find their numbers here, for Senate and here, for Reps (or just go to their personal website and find their Washington number). I admit I haven't called my Rep. yet. I do know that he supports the public option and I will call him today to thank him.
And I read this article, which tells me that one of my Senators (at least until I change my residency), Ron Wyden, is having closed door meetings with Obama to try to come to a compromise on the health care bill. Ron Wyden has never been for public health care. He had his own plan, which I read, but I'm sure he's not even going for that now.
I called Ron Wyden's office yesterday to voice my support for the public option. I should have done it earlier, and often. I'd like to think my calls matter, but I know that's only true if everyone else calls too. Mass movements have to be just that: mass. I hope other people make calls.
I'd like to think I'm for compromise, but I realized the other day that what I'm really for is picking your battles. I was never a big health care policy person - until I realized how strongly I really believe in the public option. I will not compromise on giving fair, affordable, and GOOD health care to people who would otherwise have nothing. I will not compromise on giving people a chance to see another day because they were able to afford their prescriptions. I will not compromise on providing what I think is a RIGHT, not a privilege. Every other industrialized country has some sort of a single-payer system or universal health care. And yes, their taxes are higher, but they have worked out their system in a way that their economies can still stay afloat (did you see that the EU got out of the recession long before we did?). All I can figure is that our rich and powerful simply don't care enough for the rest. Someone I know said their father once had a heart attack and chose not to take an ambulance to the hospital. His wife had to drive him in traffic. He could have died, so why did he do that? He knew from previous experience that he could never afford the ambulance bills because although he HAS insurance, they wouldn't cover it. Imagine if he didn't even have insurance!
So why the public option? I can't speak very eloquently on this matter, but this article from Rolling Stone is fantastic (thanks Murray). Here's another one that is slightly dated.
The news about the Baucus bill is so incredibly disheartening. I am lucky that I get good health care through my work, but when one in FIVE people in California, alone, are denied coverage even WHEN they have health care, no one is safe.
I want to get all of the elected officials in a room and say look, decision-making people, we didn't elect you to fail us. I want to get all the crazy people together who think the public option will make us socialist fascist grandparent-killers and have them listen to reason. If a watered-down nothing bill passes, it's likely some of these people will learn the hard way when they one day have trouble with the health care industry. But that's our attitude as Americans, right? Until a problem affects you, there's no problem at all.
Edit: Here is some more info and one place to take action. But call your Senators, call your Reps! Find their numbers here, for Senate and here, for Reps (or just go to their personal website and find their Washington number). I admit I haven't called my Rep. yet. I do know that he supports the public option and I will call him today to thank him.