Progressive Ponderings: "Change-we-can-believe-in"

By Joe Mayer

This past December President-elect Obama's transition team encouraged citizens to attend "Health Care Community Discussions." Participant Guides were provided that beautifully describe the health care crisis. "Change-we-can-believe-in" prompted millions of Americans to attend and participate in "hope."

The Guide's overview of the problem states, "Our system is flawed and fails to deliver affordable, high-quality health care to all Americans." Excerpts from this overview: "health insurance premiums have doubled…accompanied by co-pays and deductibles"; "medical bills have contributed to half of bankruptcies and foreclosures"; "…place a burden on American businesses"; "administrative waste contributes to these costs"; "the U.S. spent $412 per capita on health administration and insurance in 2003 – nearly 6 times as much as other developed countries"; "nearly 160 million Americans have job-based insurance, but many just a pink slip away from joining the ranks of uninsured. For every 1% increase in the unemployment rate, over one million people become uninsured." You know the picture.

From here on the Guide's discussion points go down hill fast. Under a section entitled "Expand coverage to all Americans" it assumes that the HMOs and insurance companies will be kept in place. Guide excerpts include: "build upon and strengthen coverage"; "allow people to keep coverage"; "require insurance companies…."

Our President-elect drew record crowds, record campaign contributions from thousands of people, record volunteers to a record-breaking campaign – all hoping and believing in "change." Yet, when a crisis facing millions of American families and businesses is addressed some of his campaign spokes-persons including Secretary of Health and Human Services designee Tom Daschle state: "The country isn't ready for single-payer health coverage." This is Washington "business-as-usual." The huge lobbyist/campaign-donor/corporate hierarchy will continue to rape the system and the people.

Participants at these health care discussions were asked this question: "What do you perceive is the biggest problem in the health care system?" Five choices are provided as the possible answer. The industry (the HMOs and insurance companies), which extracts billions from the system without adding one bit of health care, was not a choice. I added my own answer at the meet-ups I attended and emphasized the need for single-payer coverage as the beginning solution to our health care crisis.

The quarter million in Grant Park, the 100,000 in St. Louis under the Arch, the 100,000 in Denver and the millions across the country joining the "change-you-can-believe-in" provide a strong basis for this change. We elected a president with progressive inclinations. Our continuing job is to demand these progressive changes. Tinkering with a flawed system is not change. Bill and Hillary were shot down in the 1990s when they attempted to even start a discussion of changing our health care system, and soaring costs have made it a crisis now. The "transition team" claims they need to hear your ideas and stories so that they can be reported to the president-elect. Accommodate them!