We are now approaching the "defining moment", as Paul Krugman recently put it, in the evolution of health care reform in the United States. Since the Party of No has uniformly refused to lead, follow, or compromise, it's time for Republicans to just get out of the way and let Democracy work.
Health care reform is favored by a clear 56% majority of Americans, according to a USA/Gallup poll. We know that health care spending averaged over $7400 per resident in 2007, the highest of all industrialized countries, and at the present rate of growth will cost 4.4 trillion dollars by 2018, more than double 2007 spending. Our current system leaves an astounding 29 million Americans without health care (except for expensive emergency room treatment) and medical expenses are a leading cause of personal bankruptcy in the United States.
Republicans and Democrats do agree on two reform issues: portability and dropping pre-existing conditions. These are both critical components of reform, but alone are insufficient to solve the problems with our current system, particularly the cost.
A key point that Republicans ignore, giving credibility to the "disinformation" charge, is that the bills will actually reduce the projected deficit, according the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. Nor will it mandate "death panels" as Sarah Palin incorrectly points out, or pay for health care for illegal immigrants (as much as I would like to see this happen for humanitarian reasons). The now watered-down public option, to appease Republicans and conservative Democrats, is absolutely essential to keep the costs down.
Unfortunately, corruption has taken firm root in Congress. Take Independent Senator Joe Lieberman for example. His home state of Connecticut is headquarters for health care and insurance companies who have contributed millions of dollars to his reelection campaigns. Lieberman has publicly stated he will block a vote on the bill, despite that fact that a majority of voters in his state support reform with a public option. And the wife of Indiana Democratic Senator Evan Bayh has made millions while serving on the board of insurer WellPoint. Bayh's support for reform is still very much in question.
If the upcoming legislation were in a court of law, justices would be forced to recluse themselves from the vote due to a conflict of interest. Unfortunately, such ethical standards are not applicable in Congress, so the votes of these two Senators may be considered by some to be for sale.
Soon we will face obstructionist legislators like Republican Tom Coburn of Oklahoma who conveniently ignores the fiscal facts and will likely to derail reform with endless procedural roadblocks, particularly a filibuster.
Expect the for-profit insurance lobby, supported by their mainly Republican allies in Congress, to say almost anything in slick commercials in coming weeks. Expect nightly misinformation from Fox News and of course right wing-nut radio hosts like Rush Limbaugh to liken reform to communism or worse.
Whether or not health care reform passes, Americans should remember how your representatives vote on this key issue in the coming 2012 elections.
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