Stacks of chairs in the historic St. Saulve Abbey, Montreuil-sur-Mer, France.
"We are bound to disagree, but let's disagree over issues that are real." - US President Barack Obama.
Read the president's New York Times article "Why we need health care reform" here.
Update: Eugene Robinson has a few questions for the president. With saboteurs like Max Baucus and Chuck Grassley supposedly working on health care consensus, frankly, who needs enemies? Best for the president to seize the reins and take charge to get health care reform through Congress.
As Robinson rightly points out:
"Consider the political landscape. Democrats control the White House and both houses of Congress. No matter how disciplined Republicans are in opposing any reforms -- even if Republican objections are accommodated -- they don't have the votes to kill a final bill.
"If conservative "Blue Dog" Democrats are successful in nixing a public health insurance option and watering down other reforms, progressive voters have a right to ask why they went to such trouble to elect Democratic majorities and a Democratic president. But the Senate can still resort to a parliamentary maneuver that would require only 51 votes, rendering most objections irrelevant. Historical trends indicate that it's unlikely the Democrats will expand their majorities in 2010. Politically, therefore, there's not likely to be a better moment for health reform than right now."
Hear, hear!
Thank you. I will also forward to you (if you don't have it already, and you probably do!) David Axelrod's documents about the health care stuff. Just in case you need even more ammo! As our Greg is getting his next cancer scan today, I am reminded more than ever that we need national health. This kid is no candidate for a group plan, being the creative artist self he is, and with a pre-existing condition requiring lifelong scans and meds, he needs coverage before he's off his mom's plan!
Posted by: jeanie | 18 August 2009 at 18:16
So, so true.
xo
Posted by: Christina | 18 August 2009 at 01:20
Hallelujah for our president! Now if only the republicans will TALK about health reform instead of staging these horrible screaming matches where nothing can be discussed MAYBE we can figure out a plan...
Posted by: Stephanie | 17 August 2009 at 17:45
Built into the cost of every drug and every doctor visit is the cost of malpractice suits. Any reform to the health care system has to also include reform in the malpractice area as well. I have a relative that is an attorney for one of the major health care providers here. The amount of money that is spent defending against greedy patients and ridiculous claims staggers my mind. I would love to support the president on this but, without addressing this issue in the bill, one of two things is going on.
One is that the president doesn't know this is going on in which his ignorance on the subject makes him unworthy of support on this issue.
The other is that he does not want to upset a part of the faction that got him elected...trial lawyers. If this is the case, he is being untruthful about this not being about politics and I can not support such deceit.
I do not believe the president is ignorant.
We have come to a place where America is faced with a lot of hard choices. It is easy to come up with new ideas that cost money. The hard part is to make the cuts that help fund these ideas. The State of California is an example of this. The propaganda machines continue to paint "greedy insurance companies" or "greedy pharma companies" because they are easy targets. There may even be some truth to the attack. There are also greedy end abusers. Everyone needs to step in to pick up the tab.
The plan also needs to relax the rules on allowing interstate insurance. The best and easiest way to drive down cost is to increase competition. This is what our country was built on. I do not understand, considering the myriad of silly, barely related things that get attached as "riders to the bill" why this is not part of the reform either.
Why are we not discussing LOWERING the country's mortality rate? The Republicans are ranking on the Dems about this bill creating "Death Squads." The Dems vehemently say that is not part of the bill. Nobody wants to step up to the plate and say, "we are economically broke as a country. It would be nice to keep escalating our mortality rate but we can't afford it." I watched the government pay for a lot of services in the months proceeding my 88 year old father die of cancer under his VA Benefit. He would have preferred to leave this planet earlier and saved the country money or have the money go toward a younger returning veteran with a life in front of him. His family would have preferred him not to suffer. The bill is way to weak and gray when it comes to euthanasia. We are more humane to our animals than our citizenship. This area needs time for appropriate debate.
It is a complicated issue with many issues inside it. I am happy that Mr Obama has opened the debate but it needs to be a debate. Creating more government bureaucracy at this much cost is NOT something that should be a "wham....bam...thank you mam" which is how this is being handled. I am an Independent. What I see here is the Dems trying to slam this through the way they want it before they lose the tremendous control that they have. We need an American solution....not a Democrat or Republican solution.
Posted by: nutster | 17 August 2009 at 12:21
Sweet Tara, I had taken the summer to travel have guests and play games on FB. Now I'm balancing my blogging with FB. Love Scrabble. :) I like what he said in this op-ed. I need healthcare reform and it is scary when you are already sick. Thank you! Miss you too. :)
Posted by: Tammy | 17 August 2009 at 03:33
I apologize - Mr. Potter did not write a book, but he did testify before Congress.
Posted by: Barbara | 17 August 2009 at 03:32
President Obama's piece was a sight for sore eyes. You may also be interested, Tara, in a piece in the archives of 'Bill Moyers Journal' (July 31, 2009) on pbs.org with Wendell Potter who attended a 'health care expedition' by 'remote area medical' in a rural county in Virginia. Mr. Potter had been a person of significance in the insurance industry for 20 years when he stumbled across this 'expedition.' What he saw there influenced him, eventually, to leave the industry and write a book exposing it.
Posted by: Barbara | 17 August 2009 at 03:28
It is so depressing that we have to convince people we all need health care. I have read article after article that explain what waste there is now and how many people we could cover with just the money we are wasting. Why don't people understand this? Until Reagan I never knew that people would vote and protest against their own self interest.
Posted by: kris | 16 August 2009 at 22:01