NY-21: A Universal Health Care Candidate!
Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 11:30:40 AM PDT
Now that the furor over Spitzer's prostitution-prosecution scandal has died down and Governor Paterson has been sworn in, things can get back to normal in New York's Capital Region. The region is home to the 21st New York Congressional District, where two amazing things are happening.
First, we have five announced candidates in a Democratic primary to fill retiring Representative Mike McNulty's seat, something that has never happened in the district before.
Second, out of all these five candidates, only one, Phil Steck, is distancing himself from the pack by joining local doctors and advocating for full, single-payer, universal health care. He's doing this for two main reasons: first, because it makes sense, and second, because no matter who gets elected President this year, once we have the White House, we're going to need Congressmen who are able to push him or her to keep their promises.
More below the fold.
I hope to make this first of a series of issues-oriented diaries comparing and contrasting the positions of the many candidates. Since health care reform is so front and center in our Presidential primary, it seems appropriate to begin with the same issue here at home.
As a disclaimer, I am getting my information from the Internet almost exclusively. The mainstream media around here has been caught up in Spitzergate recently, and has paid little attention to the Congressional primary historically. That being said, I am relying mainly on the candidates websites and weeks old press to get the netroots up to speed.
And that being said, the websites of candidates Lester Freeman and Darius Shahinfar really don't say much about health care, or anything at all for that matter. This is forgivable, of course, because it's still very early in the process. They are bound to bring up clearer positions when they are competing against courageous positions like this:
Phil Steck, Democratic congressional candidate for New York’s 21st Congressional District joined with local doctors, who are members of Physicians for a National Health Program, to announce his support for single-payer health care.
"We have a system just like this in the United States that has worked very well; it’s called Medicare," added Steck. "Escalating health care costs are crippling to small businesses, American companies competing globally, and employees who are forced to bear an ever increasing percentage of the cost of health insurance."
For me, it's exciting to have such a crowded field of candidates to begin with; one of them has to share my progressive vision for the country. Luckily, Phil Steck is explaining what we here on the netroots have been pushing for for years: that single-payer, universal health care makes sense from a medical, economic, and equitable standpoint. For those who are really strong minded about this issue, the Physicians for a National Health Program link above has a wealth of information and opportunities to take action. And it is the Phil Steck for Congress campaign that this organization of medical professionals is supporting.
Not to over-emphasize this, but I think it's important in contrast to the other candidates positions. In recent interviews on both The Albany Weblog and on Amsterdam radio station WCSS AM1490, Phil Steck reiterated that universal health isn't just a health issue. It is an economic issue because of the impact of rising costs; it is a jobs issue because of the unfair competition that small businessess must face; it is a social issue because of the stratifications between what classes of people can afford health care and which cannot; and it is a moral issue because if we value fair competition, then we should value an even playing field where everyone in every business is fully insured.
Phil Steck says it best himself when he points this out:
"A primary reason why health care is so expensive in this country is because the current private insurance bureaucracy accounts for 31% of all health care costs," said Steck. "Doctors and patients should be empowered to make health care decisions instead of being constrained by insurance company rules and regulations." Emphasis added.
How does Phil Steck's position compare contrast with the currently discernable positions of the other candidates? The most recent candidate to announce, former CEO Gary Mittleman has a very comprehensive website up, but his positions tend to say a lot while not saying too much. Gary Mittleman's solutions to the health care crisis is a full page long, and it's hard to get to the meat of his plan. Here it is for ease of use:
How do you suggest fixing the health care system?
My impression is that we as a country have been talking about a universal health care system for decades with little or no progress made. Every time I hear of efforts being made it involves finding a single solution that everyone can agree on. I believe it is time to recognize that will not happen. I suggest we take a more pragmatic approach. We should design and implement 10 to 20 different regionally based plans throughout the country, letting each region define what it thinks would work best for itself. At the end of the "trial," say in three to four years of operation, we could actually see what is working and what isn't. We could also assess whether some regions, because of their demographic make-up, require different solutions. We could then make informed decisions to move this important issue forward. Emphasis added.
The contrast is clear as day. Phil Steck realizes not only that single-payer is the best solution, but he also offers us hope that it can be done. Gary Mittleman's language is not only defeatist if you're a universal health care proponent, but it's confusing both in concept and in its implementation. I'd say that we have enough information to make an informed decision that leads towards one solution, not for tomorrow, but for today.
Last, we come to candidate M. Tracey Brooks. She has recieved the endorsements of several McNulty family members, despites Mike's pledge that he won't be endorsing anybody...just spending more time with his family. She has also been meeting with local medical professionals and talking about the need for health care reform...
"We need to provide comprehensive health care reform and the only way to do that right is to work with both those receiving and those delivering health care services,"
...and talking about addressing problems...
"We must address the rising costs of health care, expand affordable health care options, increase incentives for medical research and innovation, and ensure that everyone in America receives health care. These are the right priorities for the Capital Region and for our country."
...and talking...
"I will continue to work hard in Washington and here locally, to make sure that everyone in the Capital Region has access to the right health care service, at the right time and for the right price."
....and talking.
"I’m focused on the serious issues like passing meaningful legislation that will bring better and broader health care coverage, more jobs and economic opportunity and a better quality of life for all the people of the Capital Region," concluded Brooks.
Emphasis added.
Does anyone here agree with me when I say that was a lot of vauge talk and not a lot of specific proposals? I've said previously that I'm trying very hard not to be biased in these diaries, but it is very difficult to hold back when I have a campaign that is making actual proposals on one side and the prospect of more of the same empty rhetoric (complete with vague alliteration-based talking points and allusions to "hard work" a la Bush) on the other.
My point is: I'd like a Representative in Congress who will fight for universal health care while I'm still in my twenties so I'm not still volunteering for promising underdogs trying for the same lofty goal when I'm finally eligible for Social Security benefits...if they're even still there.
I hope more information becomes available on candidates Lester Freeman and Darius Shainfar. And I'm grateful for the information provided by Tracey Brooks and Gary Mittelman, for they have helped me confirm my earlier decision. This year, I want to support the most progressive candidate, with the best chances of actually ending the fact that the United State of America is the only major democracy that does not provide all of its citizens with universal health care.
In the 21st Congressional District of New York, that candidate is still Phil Steck. I will be overjoyed, and will update, if new information from the other candidates shows they have the same courage to propose a specific plan to cover us all. I wish this was a tougher decision and I had several candidates proposing universal health care, but in a pool of five, there had to be at least one, and I'm glad there is one: Phil Steck.
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