Enough! Tell The President and Congress You Insist On a Real Public Health Insurance Option
Friday, August 21, 2009
The President and Democrats in Congress are counting on us, their base, to go along with the faustian deals they cut with the for-profit health-care industry. They expect that they can brand a watered-down, taxpayer-funded subsidy to private industry as "reform", without even the bare minimum to force the industry to become more efficient – a public health insurance option.
They expect you to not notice that a single-payer system has not even been debated, health insurance stocks jumped when the administration floated the idea of dropping the public option. They expect to keep raking in political donations from the insurance & pharmaceutical industry, and they expect you to dutifully vote for them again and again because, hey, you wouldn't want to let a Republican win, right?
Enough is enough. We did not vote for a slightly-less-Republican President.
We did not vote for someone who would continue Bush's wiretapping programs, we did not vote for someone who would turn the bank bailout into a no-strings-attached taxpayer giveaway to Wall Street, and we especially did not vote for someone who would sell out the heart of his health care initiative to appease the "gang of six" senators.
I voted for someone who cared about the fact 62% of all personal bankruptcies in this country are due to health care expenses. I voted for someone who cared that less and less of our health care dollars spent each year actually go to delivering services. I voted for someone that wanted to fix a broken system, not perpetuate it and lie that something real has been achieved.
We need to let the President – and our congressional representatives – know we want them to stand firm. We need to let them know that we do not support a "reform" bill without a strong public health insurance option, or MUCH, MUCH better, a true single-payer system. We need to let them know that we're the mainstream and that the "Death Panel" idiots that think the current system is fundamentally sound are the fringe.
It may sound like a lot to do, but it really does not take much time at all to call or email the White House and your congressional reps. The people I spoke to when I called answered promptly and were polite. Each call and email is tallied, and is counted as representing the views of hundreds, if not thousands, of your fellow constituents.
Here's what you can do:
1) Get Informed – And Pissed Off!
Here are just a few sources you can check out to learn about the need to enact real reform of our health care system and the sorry state of the current debate:
- Bill Moyers interview with Wendell Potter, a former health insurance executive
- You do not have health insurance (even if you think you do)
- Rachel Maddow on why the public option is "dying"
- Matt Taibbi of Rolling Stone on how the reform process has gone wrong
- A Great Bill Moyers segment on the verboten single-payer system -- much better than even the "public option" that is currently under attack.
- Myths and falsehoods about health care reform
- The brutal truth about America's health care system -- a British perspective
- Not limited to health care, but worth a look: a antastic visualization of money spent on various items
2) Write to the White House
Please go to whitehouse.gov and write an email to the President.
3) Call or Write Your Senators
If you are in California, your senators are Diane Feinstein and Barbara Boxer. Senator Feinstein in particular has stated that she is not a strong supporter of a public option.
If you are outside of California, you can look up your senators' contact info here.
4) Call or Write Your House Representative
Please look up your House Representative here and call or email them.
5) Support those that have the guts to stand up to the insurance industry
One reason that the public option is not dead yet is the brave efforts of dozens of progressive members of Congress. They are not going to get any love (aka cash) from the insurance industry -- please donate what you can to let them know you support them standing up for you. Click here.
6) Get others involved
Email this page to your friends, tweet it, twat it, whatever. Just let people know that now is a time to make some noise!
So who the hell am I?
If you didn't get to this page from my personal email, then good – that means this message is getting around. I'm Jonathon Wolfe, a San Francisco resident and political moderate – which means that by this country's standards I'm a bleeding-heart liberal. And proud of it.
Lest you think I'm too eager to tear down our newly-elected Dear Leader, I donated twice to his campaign and was genuinely thrilled to see him elected. I just want Mr. Obabma to follow through on his promises, be a tougher negotiator, and not take his base for granted.
– Jonathon Wolfe