Dems In Congress!!! Listen To The People!!!

This Democratic senator, and many like her in Washington simply do not get it. They already have federal health insurance and frankly, many are too much like their brethren across the aisle to fully comprehend how much Americans need comprehensive health insurance legislation. The fact is, the current system of making a small number of wealthy people more money by ravaging the status of health care in the nation is not working. Economist extraordinaire Paul Krugman does get it, and I sincerely hope that every single one of these decision makers reads this article in its entirety.

From The NY Times:

America’s political scene has changed immensely since the last time a Democratic president tried to reform health care. So has the health care picture: with costs soaring and insurance dwindling, nobody can now say with a straight face that the U.S. health care system is O.K. And if surveys like the New York Times/CBS News poll released last weekend are any indication, voters are ready for major change.

The question now is whether we will nonetheless fail to get that change, because a handful of Democratic senators are still determined to party like it’s 1993.

And yes, I mean Democratic senators. The Republicans, with a few possible exceptions, have decided to do all they can to make the Obama administration a failure. Their role in the health care debate is purely that of spoilers who keep shouting the old slogans — Government-run health care! Socialism! Europe! — hoping that someone still cares.

The polls suggest that hardly anyone does. Voters, it seems, strongly favor a universal guarantee of coverage, and they mostly accept the idea that higher taxes may be needed to achieve that guarantee. What’s more, they overwhelmingly favor precisely the feature of Democratic plans that Republicans denounce most fiercely as “socialized medicine” — the creation of a public health insurance option that competes with private insurers.

It isn't a radical plan, in fact, it is quite "conservative" in that people get to make the choice for themselves which plan they like better. Yet the Republicans in Congress make it out to be something it isn't and that is something Democratic members like Dianne Feinstein must learn to ignore. The latest polls show 75%, yes, 75% of Americans want some type of universal coverage. So quit buying into that rightwing tripe and do what the people tell you!

Eric Massa Stands Up For H.R. 676

Cheers to one of New York's newest Congressmen, who has become one of several dozen to get behind a piece of legislation that can truly revolutionize the way America does health care. With H.R. 676, we can finally focus on the "care" aspect and not the bottom lines of insurance companies.

Real Health Care Reform Is On The Move

We are still over two months away from President Obama's inauguration but that isn't stopping Democrats in Congress from surging ahead on solving our national health care crisis. Senator Max Baucus (D-MT) has released an incredibly, dare I say, universal program that goes above and beyond what Obama talked about on the campaign trail. That doesn't mean Obama won't go along with it though, so for those that stuck with Hillary over health care, your worries are going to be put to rest.

From The NY Times:

WASHINGTON — Without waiting for President-elect Barack Obama, Senator Max Baucus, the chairman of the Finance Committee, will unveil a detailed blueprint on Wednesday to guarantee health insurance for all Americans by facilitating sales of private insurance, expanding Medicaid and Medicare, and requiring most employers to provide or pay for health benefits.

Aides to Mr. Obama said they welcomed the Congressional efforts, had encouraged Congress to take the lead and still considered health care a top priority, despite the urgent need to address huge problems afflicting the economy.

The plan proposed by Mr. Baucus, Democrat of Montana, would eventually require everyone to have health insurance coverage, with federal subsidies for those who could not otherwise afford it.

This won't happen in the waning days of the 110th Congress, but President Obama will be ready to go in January when the 111th session starts. The bill is already picking up steam, with support from fellow Senator Kennedy (D-MA) and Representatives John Dingell (D-MI) and Pete Stark (D-CA). The plan consists of 35,000 words, or about 150-200 pages of detailed material that ensures many Americans get the health care they deserve. Krugman is already enthused about this development and for many good reasons, such as expanding S-CHIP and Medicaid.

It is a bold leap forward by a Democrat that usually doesn't coincide with progressive issues. Getting moderate Republicans on board is an obvious benefit to this endeavor. While the rabid righties might not sign on, it will still show an effort towards bipartisanship and still take advantage of the incredible mandate for change that the electorate showed us last Tuesday.