"Last year, in the only opinion poll that actually mattered, President Obama received the overwhelming mandate to reform our health care system. Many of us knew that compromises would have to be made; in my case I understand that a single-payer government health service like most of the world's progressive nations already have is not on the immediate agenda. But having made this compromise, it's important for our President and his administration to understand that this is the line drawn in the sand. The "public option" must not be abandoned. It represents our only hope to take a step toward justice for the un- and underinsured. Please don't take this crucial option off the table. It is vital to many--like me--who are marginally employed and frantic about our inadequate healthcare, at the mercy of rich insurance companies, rising payments, and rising costs.
The compromises have already been made--the Public Option MUST remain part of healthcare reform!"
Welcome to The Cahokian... A thousand years ago Cahokia — across the Mississippi from what is now St. Louis — was one of the biggest cities in the world. Now it's an empty green spot next to the highway. I'm a middle-aged gay man living in New York City, center of the world, future footnote on somebody's future map. Welcome to the new world.
I'm not following the US public health debate in much detail, as I live in Vietnam at the moment (and I'm not American!), but I had an interesting angle on the issue recounted to me by a mate of mine who is a former US Marine.
ReplyDeleteIn my bar he met up with some of the guys on duty in Hanoi guarding the US Embassy and they got onto the subject.
He broke down their skepticism by him pointing out that they already were beneficiaries of public health care via the military!
Every soldier makes a weekly payment and they have equal access regardless of rank or paypacket to free-at-the-point-of-use health care, no private clinics :D
How about that as a 'patriotic' argument in favour of extending such as system to the rest of the country?
Of course politicians also all have great healthcare--through the government!
ReplyDeleteSadly rational argument and reality don't seem to count for a lot in the current national debate.