Octubre 6, 2009
Washington, D.C.
Are you bewildered or confused by the daily barrage of corporate news and opinion about the state of health care reform in Congress? It's hard not to be. Unless you have unlimited time to try to keep up with the ever-changing status of one bill or proposal or another in Congress you are bound to be confused. Every day features more press releases and press conferences than can be counted, endless media interviews with experts and assorted fake "experts", along with double helpings of shallow commentary that are offered to viewers as serious analysis. Groups both in favor of reform and opposed to reform launch daily e-mail blitzes so as to stimulate businesses and ordinary people alike to call Congress with the frantic demand of the day.Whatever this process is, it sure isn't an effective way to define the problem and lay out a clear solution to such an obvious crisis like the one working people face when it comes to health insurance costs and the overall health care mess. And as a result of the Republican smear machinery -- combined with the hapless efforts of too many Democrats who offer vague and constantly shifting reform proposals -- the majority of working people are dazed, confused, and in growing numbers even skeptical about the current reform push.
Whatever happened to fixing the health care mess?
UE members are reminded of several realities when it comes to our current health care reform battle;
* our health care system is rigged by out-of-control insurance companies who do whatever they want and charge premiums and fees which are outrageously high;
* almost all Republicans in Congress have sided with the insurance companies and the health care industry, and most Democrats are too weak or too corrupt to seriously challenge these same corporate forces who profit massively from our suffering;
* both sides in Congress take big campaign contributions from the health insurance and health care industry, with some notable but few exceptions;
* the current system is working perfectly for the companies who profit from it, so they have every reason to stall-off any real reform;
* real health care reform is not inevitable, and any final legislation is not guaranteed be better than what we currently have - the final reform product will have to be measured and tested to see what it really is, and if it is better or worse than what we now have;
* "reform" schemes that force workers to buy grossly over-priced health insurance while allowing bosses to cancel existing insurance plans with only a tiny fee will be opposed strenuously by working people, as they should be;
* President Obama and the Democrats have so far failed the leadership test during this health care reform battle - while they had the courage and determination to initiate the push for reform, from the start they have spent more time -- so far -- trying to appease the enemies of reform rather than leading a movement to sweep these corrupt forces from the scene;
It's obvious that we are at a pivotal point in the health care reform battle, and it's time to take off the gloves. It's time to tell Republicans and Democrats alike to stop playing games with the insurance companies and the health care industry.
Single payer reform remains the only sensible solution to our crisis. That remains the goal of our union, as ratified yet again by delegates to our recent National Convention in New Haven. Rank-and-file delegates to that convention also instructed our union to measure any final reform proposal by whether it improves our current situation - or not.
UE members are urged to contact their members of Congress at 202-224-3121 and tell them point blank - we demand real reform, not schemes to force people to buy sky-high insurance and which allow companies to cancel existing insurance coverages with impunity. Advise your lawmakers to investigate and support the two single-payer bills now before Congress, H.R.676 and S.703. Within these bills will be found the solution to our crisis, which is, after all, the reason for the health care reform battle in the first place.