Do It! Do It! Do It!

It is astounding and depressing that Congress seems about to give up on the first major change in health care since the first Clinton Administration. The Democrats were up by 21, with two minutes to play in the fourth quarter, so what do they do? They throw an interception for a touchdown. Then they fumble the kick and give the opponents the ball on their own five-yard line for another touchdown. Finally, with 30 seconds on the clock, they fail to get a first down and give up the ball, letting the Republicans tie the score. Now the game is in overtime and the Democrats can’t seem to figure out that they have a majority and can jam health care reform down the throats of their opponents. It is time to pass health care reform.

The United States does not have a “health care system.” We have a medical service industry and a health insurance industry that rations medical services based on insured status and rakes off 15 or 20 per cent. If we really had a system, one third of the nation would not lack adequate health care.

We need a public health care system like Medicare that everyone can buy into at a reasonable price. Medicare has been a wonderful success, despite all the criticism from the political right, the American Medical Association, and the health insurance industry. There are problems, but they are manageable and susceptible to reform.

Health insurance executives are whining that they cannot compete with a public health care system. What better argument could you find in favor of establishing it? They cannot compete because a public system would be fairer, more efficient, and less expensive than the private insurance industry. These executives are like muleskinners a century ago whining that the internal combustion engine will put them out of business. True, but is that a reason to outlaw gasoline?

We need an inexpensive public alternative to private health insurance. That it will hurt the insurance industry is no excuse for leaving 100 million Americans without adequate health insurance. A fair health care system is a fundamental part of the social infrastructure. It is time to fill that void in the United States.

Tell the Democrats that it is time to move the ball down the field for the score. If health care fails again, it is time for a million uninsured people to march on Capitol Hill to demand universal health care. It is their right.

[Via http://topomyhead.wordpress.com]

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