Monday, March 1, 2010

Who Says Americans Don't Want Health Care Reform?

The "health care summit" has come and gone, and, as expected, partisanship is still alive and well. Instead of focusing on what is best for the country, our elected leaders took this opportunity to once again bicker amongst themselves, proving to one and all just how useless they really are.

Republicans, of course, had no intention of negotiating away any of the deep fissures between themselves and Democrats on this issue. Their main concerns going into this meeting were split between concerns for citizens and concern for industry. For example, they wanted to discuss how to make insurance available and affordable to those with pre-existing medical conditions, but also want to end "frivolous lawsuits" and expand health care cost related savings accounts. They keep bleating that the nation just can't afford this legislation (where were these budget-squeezers when the bailout bill was passed?) and that the "American people" don't want it, anyway.

Not that the GOP is entirely to blame. Democrats are quickly losing the membership that was once willing to vote in favor of their health reform bill. Back in November, the House's version squeaked by with a 5-vote majority, and even that seems barely attainable now. Rep. Jason Altmire, D-PA, is quoted in an AP article by Alan Fram as saying that some Democrats who initially voted "yes" on the health care legislation would now vote "no" because, "they went home and got an unpleasant experience" due to the way they voted.

Who are these Americans who don't want health care reform? They are not anyone I know, or the readers who write into our local paper's editorial page. Why in the world would an average person put the concerns of the insurance industry and the health care profit machine before their own financial and personal health? We, the voters, are not getting cash gifts and free cruises, or large donations to our re-election campaigns. For these congresspeople to say it is the "will of the people" is just plain ludicrous.

As usual, our needs will be ignored as congress and industry ride off, hand in hand, into the sunset. The only real way to determine whether or not the citizenry want health care reform is to put it to a vote. Would you vote against changing the system? I know I wouldn't. Funny how that idea never came up, isn't it?

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