No one is denying that Health Care Reform is essential. I am embarrassed, as we all should be, by the US taking last place among the industrial nations in the world, in terms of per capita access to (affordable) health care insurance. Personally, I have always had employer provided health care insurance, though not necessarily a Cadillac Plan, I’ve had at least a Subaru Plan. The vitriolic dissent surrounding this bill is worse than the Willie Horton frenzy that Senior Bush whipped up. The sight of Republican Congressmen urging protesters to “KILL” from the second floor of the Capitol Building shocked and disgusted me.


Let me set the record straight and perhaps afford a new perspective on the whole issue.

• The bill signed by President Obama this week is A REPUBLICAN BILL. It is actually more conservative than the health bill brought forward by the Republicans in 1996. The bill as signed firmly entrenches the for-profit health insurance companies. My side wanted single-payer system, like every other industrialized nation.
• John McCain said, on the floor of the Senate, (I am paraphrasing) that single-payer was a step toward Socialism and a non-starter. Similar statements were made by his Republican colleagues in reference to the public option. Meanwhile, John McCain had his stage 2A melanoma, an invasive form of skin cancer, treated in 2000 using the Congressional Public Option. My own representative, Mike “Pocket Change” Castle had his prostate procedure using the same Public Option. Dick Cheney, 5 heart attacks, public option. And not to single out Republican (although it’s more fun) every member of congress has the same health benefits, that includes everyone in the photo above.
• The US has the finest health care system in the world! Ugh, that is, for 35% of the population, while another 51% have inadequate health insurance and 14% have no insurance at all. After this Health Care Initiative becomes fully effective, there will still be just under 10% of the population with no health care insurance.