PETITION TO PRESIDENT OBAMA: "We worked so hard for real change. President Obama, please demand a strong public health insurance option in your speech to Congress. Letting the insurance companies win would not be change we can believe in."
In the space to add comments, I added this:
All the polling and support for your agenda was made clear last Novmeber. Do not be swayed by a vocal minority, a craven media or the timid among our party. Now is the best chance for the bold action on health care that ALL of this country needs. Reform of the insurance industry will mean nothing without a public option. Bargaining away the public option in search of Republican support that will not materialize is foolish, and selling out to industry is inexcusable.
Now is the time for leadership. Now is the time to deliver the change you promised.
4 comments:
To me the question is this.
If we know that despite our best efforts, we are on the verge of getting nothing becuase we are waiting for the public option, I would say I will take something. It will be insurance reform, but it really won't be health care for all.
Obama should put it this way:
"The public option is necissary to get the job done. Without it we will have only accomplished 50% of our goals. I will take 50% over nothing, but our efforts will be incomplete."
To me there is no good political, policy or strategic reason for leaving it out.
It is caving to health care industry desires under the guise of falling short of bipartisan support. And that is crushingly disappointing to me. There will never be a better time to move the ball on this.
And if the rest of the bill requires more of insurance companies in terms of accepting and retaining people, how exactly is that going to drive down costs? It's fucking NOT. It will drive them up. BCBS of Michigan just raised rates 22%—and since they were my former insurer, I know how much that WAS—in no small part because they cannot deny anyone.
And if they add mandates in there without a public option—forcing people to hand over money to the insurance industry—I'll be, once again, bringin' the Liam.
Here's what I wrote in my comment field:
"Don't proverbially "Dance with the Devil," Mr. President. Caving to Republican pressure in search of their support is foolish. They will never give it. Don't throw away what we really need for the false promise of votes that will never materialize!
For an example of life without a public option, turn to Michigan. According to a Saturday, September 6, 2009 Detroit Free Press article, "In the past few days, 114,000 Michigan households have received bad-news letters from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, socking individual health insurance subscribers with premium increases averaging 22%, effective Oct. 1."
Where will these people turn with no public option? Nowhere. The cliche "half a loaf" in this case is no loaf at all. There is no better time to move health reform forward, and in cases like Michigan, there *is no greater need.*"
I'm with Mr. F. I don't think we can do the 50% now, finish the job later approach. We've been in politics long enough to know that once the votes are cast on half a loaf, that becomes all the bread there is for years on issues this big.
Be a one-termer if you must. But in that one term, sacrifice yourself for health care reform that really makes a difference and economic stimulus that actually stimulates.
"In the past few days, 114,000 Michigan households have received bad-news letters from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, socking individual health insurance subscribers with premium increases averaging 22%, effective Oct. 1."
BCBS - The original Co-Op. How'd that work?
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