milesz

The battle to ensure real health care reform has now begun though it is in the home stretch. The lines are clearly drawn: corporate America versus millions at the grassroots level. The measure of success will be in the motivation and inspiration who want to ensure that all Americans can access and afford health care in our country – - – as if it were a right, or a community service like bringing heat to warm our homes or riding the municipal bus that takes us to our jobs.

The latest incarnation of health care reform put out by the House earlier today is looking more like swiss cheese – - – full of holes, has a less than desirable taste, and gives off a pungent odor.

A public health insurance option (“PHIP”) by any other name is not a PHIP. Just because all bills include a public option does not mean we should be ecstatic. For example, Reid’s bill provides that only 10% of Americans will have access to it. HR 3200 provides a phase in to more and more Americans over time. What is needed is a PHIP that provides a choice and competition for as many Americans as possible as soon as possible.

To coin a football phrase, we are all now in the “red zone” of debate in the last days/weeks to decide what type of health care reform we will all have. But that debate begins and ends with realizing that health care is a right for every single American.

With the Senate Finance Committee passing its version of health care reform, the war between health care insurers and those they insure has now begun. But it will be the will of the people that will overcome the greed of the insurance industry that will prevail; otherwise, we will all be “raped” by the health insurance industry before year’s end.

Health care reform, particularly understanding why the public option is so critical, can be boiled down to four simple words: accessibility, affordability, choice, and competition.

Health care is a right for every single American, rather than as a commodity like opponents to reform are treating it to be. A commodity can be bought, sold and bartered, and if one cannot afford to purchase and then use it, too bad. With health care, those who oppose reform like is being proposed by the President say that if those who cannot access or afford it, then let disease or illness prevail that then results in permanent injury or . . . even death. A public option is critical so this will not occur!

The prediction is that Obama will not only win big, but mightily. With that as his mandate, he can only look to past policies never to repeat them, and then to lead the nation to better days with his own visions and achievements.

The lesson of this campaign is, simply put, in offering what this country desperately needs, be true to yourself, i.e., do not be what you are not.