Can Barack Obama and the 111th Congress really pass health care reform? Will 2009 finally be the year when the United States joins most every other industrialized country in the world by offering all citizens some form of public health care? Many past administrations have tried their hand at achieving this goal, each to no avail.
FDR stayed away from a national health care system for fear of the AMA killing Social Security. 44 years ago LBJ and the Democrats won an election and seemingly a mandate but only managed to pass Medicare. Nixon failed, as did Clinton's administration due to (among other things) bad timing, political misjudgement and not allowing congress to write the policy.
Despite the past failures it seems that this may be the political moment to achieve it. The public support is there; a recent study by The New England Journal of Medicine discovered that only 7 percent of the population rate our current system as excellent, whereas 70 percent say it is in need of major changes, if not a complete overhaul.
But this isn’t new – so what’s different about next year?
Health care premium costs have risen 78% since 2001
while family income is falling. This is no longer an issue that is
perceived to only affect the uninsured – even before the recession
deepened dramatically, almost every working family was personally
affected by a broken health care system. Now that we face an economic
crisis, this problem is only magnified.
Advocates and elected officials would do well to frame health care as an economic security issue inextricably tied to our recovery. Max Baucus frames the issue well in (.pdf) press release. The powerful Senate Finance Committee Chairman states, "Some say that we will have to choose between fixing the economy and enacting comprehensive health reform. I reject that false choice. I say, we can and should do both... Not only can we, but we have to." His statement is an important development, as potential legislation must go through his committee.
As far as President-elect Obama's focus on health care reform during the election, those looking for immediate passage of universal health care will have to, for now, draw on some of that hope. Campaign rhetoric is not the most reliable form of governance, but those who have followed Obama's transition thus far have remained positive and hopeful for this central tenet of his campaign.
It is essential that Obama is appointing people with legislative know-how and that key legislators (like Baucus above) are on board with reform. Tom Daschle, former majority leader of the Senate, has been tapped for two positions, secretary of Health and Human Services and to head up the newly created White House Office of Health Reform. Daschle thinks that "incremental change in our system is no longer a viable option. Instead we need comprehensive reform."
The selection of Daschle and others demonstrate a keen understanding of legislative politics that is paramount to crafting and pushing the policy effectively.
In addition to work within the government, many of Wellstone
Action's partner organizations work for social, economic and
environmental justice with explicit or implicit focus on providing
affordable, quality health care to every American. These partners are
waging campaigns on the ground and on the Hill in 2009.
SEIU, is a member of Health Care for America Now (HCA), who has been pushing hard for health care reform to have a place in the election and now in the Obama administration.
Communication Workers of America efforts at organizing for health care were spotlighted earlier, and they have continued their work online and off since then. Their website Health Care Voice is an effort to organize, inform, and impact the coversation nationally.
Generation Vote, a national alliance of youth organizations such as Campus Camp Wellstone, The League of Young Voters, and Campus Progress among others, is also advocating for reform of our health care system. They have taken the approach to view it from a different macro level and consider the micro level impact on the young people in our country. Health care reform is a significant portion of greater social and environmental justice to these groups and any change to health care must take into account the greater factors affecting the health of our communities.
On the ground they implore citizens to consider the basic impact of an inequitable system:
Can I see a doctor? Can I see a doctor without drowning in debt? What if I am in a car accident? What if the condom breaks? What if I get HIV? What if I come back form Iraq with PTSD? Can I get preventative care, so I don't need to wait until I am in a crisis?" From Generation Vote Youth Agenda
It is not often that an event like the past election takes place,
providing the incoming administration with a governing mandate to make
the changes this country needs. It is political moments like this one
that demonstrate why it is so important to have organizations and
people that can effectively advocate for important issues when the time
comes to give it that last strong push. That is why Wellstone Action
and its partners work tirelessly to build skills, wage successful
campaigns, and know how to win on the issues.
