In light of the tremendous progress made tonight in terms of health care Reform, I think that there's one question we should ask:
What do we do next?
I've been a little conflicted about this bill for some time. Health care is particularly personal to me. Aside from recent acute health problems of my own and an aging family, my father is a surgeon. He has told me for years that he thinks a single-payer system would be best. Not only because it would be best for the patients in the long run or that it would have the lowest overhead, but it would also guarantee that he would get paid.
In retrospect, this may have been a good talking point to have used. As is, sick people still need help, regardless of what insurance they have. If they have none, an unfortunate truth is that any doctors who help end up rarely getting fully compensated for their work. By no means do I think that is the crux of the debate; health care is a right and there is no reason to have such disparities in life expectancies as we do in America.
But, as most of us have come to realize, although this current incarnation isn't perfect, it is a tremendous step in the right direction. Yes, tonight is a win for progressives, but more importantly the American people have gained some much needed redirection in an increasingly influential part of our society. I'm all in favor of Rep. Grayson's Medicare buy-in. I think in an ideal world, I would like a more sophisticated single-payer system. Something simplified and streamlined. We can avoid what problems do occur in similar health systems around the globe. And, yes, all of this work should continue. We shouldn't stop here.
But.
My question goes beyond that. Frankly, even though this legislation wasn't anywhere close to all that I wanted, I still find myself invigorated. We successfully got through August. Through all of the teabaggers. Beyond the echo chamber of Fox News. Against the millions of dollars spent against reform. Past the Senate Finance Committee and the Gang of Six. Past Joe Lieberman. Past Scott Brown. Past Bart Stupak. Did they influence the debate? Of course. Did they alter the final product? It'd be hard to argue that they didn't. But even so, we are here today with the biggest step in generations. Against all that.
The truth is we were heard. We had some say. We influenced the debate. As the President has said, we need to make them do this. We need to make the change we want to see in this world. And I'm ready. Ready for a fight. Ready for that change. We've gotten past them all once, now let's go at it twice as hard. Thus, my question:
What's next?