| According to our site's completely unscientific poll of our completely biased community, a majority of you would "settle" for the Baucus health care plan - only if it includes a public option for health insurance. For me, a public option is the line in the sand. Without it, any reform is just one big sh*t sandwhich, a handout to private insurance companies and no solution to some of the biggest problems with health care. Private insurance is expensive, unreliable, and non-portable.
For me, personally, private insurance has always been a hassle. In fact, private insurance is the reason I left Montana. Both my wife and I worked a series of contract and freelance jobs in Montana - we had regular work, but found patching together insurance plans from that work both too stressful and expensive. At one time, when my employer switched contracting companies I even lost my health insurance - which even then was running me a grand a month - and had to find a new job to keep my family covered. We moved to Pennsylvania because my wife was offered a teaching job in the state university system, which comes with job security, a regular paycheck, and, most importantly, a good and affordable health insurance. And even with the insurance, there's never a guarantee our insurers will actually pay our medical bills if there's an emergency.
I would move back to Montana in a flash if there was an affordable and reliable alternative to private health insurance.
That's a long way of introducing good news to you from Matt Singer, who's on the road following Max Baucus' health care listening tour. (The schedule of events can be found at Forward Montana's website.) The first is that single-payer advocates are being included in the tour. For one, Mary Caferro, the state house representative from Helena and single-payer advocate is participating. But more importantly, given that single-payer is off the table in Congress, is that Baucus' camp reaffirmed its commitment to a public option. And I'm sure Matt will have the details when he sits down at a computer keyboard.
So...what's going on here? A change of heart by Baucus? Or just a bone thrown to us before the actual reform is gutted of its public option? Or could the affirmation for a public option be the result of mounting pressure from single-payer advocates, backed by a plurality of Americans, who think nationalized health care is the best way to go? For some answers on why the health care debate is the way it is, check out Bill Moyers' recent segment on the silencing of the single-payer option.
But more importantly, keep the pressure on. If you haven't written Max Baucus' office advocating for the health care you want, do so. Try to attend one of the listening sessions and let Max and his staff know what you want. If the recent affirmation for a public option is any sign, your voices are being heard... |
