At long last, health reform legislation appears headed for a series of final votes in the next few weeks. The ultimate outcome in treacherous political waters is uncertain. What should happen, from the perspective of a consumer advocacy organization, is abundantly clear: Congress should pass legislation this year to begin dramatically improving health care access, delivery, payment, and cost management in the United States.
What drives our position is the widely recognized and urgent need of individual consumers and families, the economy, and public health for this reform. There is also one argument we find particularly compelling: virtually every major federal health care program that has been enacted over the last fifty years—from Medicare and Medicaid to COBRA, SCHIP, and the Medicare Part D drug benefit—has improved the health, financial security, and well-being of the U.S. population and, ultimately, has been embraced and supported by the public.
Many of these programs were politically contentious and took years to enact. But today, few people outside Washington and health policy circles remember or care about the political blood on the floor, how many pages the bill was, or the final vote tally. All they know is that they gained new options and benefits. In the end, it’s not about the political process; it’s about programs and policies that make people’s lives better.
We strongly believe that enacting a comprehensive and integrated health care bill this year would unfold in the same way.
Reform opponents have ceaselessly hammered away on several talking points over the last year, ramping up the volume in recent weeks. We’ll take this (hopefully one last) opportunity to quickly address them:
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