Someone here has this as their sig:
To say my fate is not tied to your fate is like saying your end of the boat is sinking. - Hugh Downs
I mention it here today because we are all in the same boat on health care reform, people. Pass/fix, fix/pass are just two ends of the same leaky dinghy. And we have got to work together in this, because we are talking about health care reform. This ain't beanbag and we knew it was never going to be easy.
So whatever flavor of reconciliation you prefer, I really hope we can all come together to achieve health care reform and I think "Whatever it takes" can get us there. Just call your Congresscritters and tell them they need to do "whatever it takes" to reform our broken health care system for Americans.
Now that Obama has delivered his State of the Union speech, Congress has no more excuses about needing him to lead. I think he was fairly adamant on the subject:
Here’s what I ask of Congress, though: Do not walk away from reform. Not now. Not when we are so close. Let us find a way to come together and finish the job for the American people.
Sounds like "whatever it takes" to me. As he said in the speech, America has been grappling with the question of universal health care for going on a century. Almost one hundred years. The Senate bill, warts and all, is a vast improvement over the status quo; it is the closest we have come to meaningful reform in all those decades of struggle.
Now let’s be clear – I did not choose to tackle this issue to get some legislative victory under my belt. And by now it should be fairly obvious that I didn’t take on health care because it was good politics.
I took on health care because of the stories I’ve heard from Americans with pre-existing conditions whose lives depend on getting coverage; patients who’ve been denied coverage; and families – even those with insurance – who are just one illness away from financial ruin.
If you ask me, sidecar now versus sidecar later is a meaningless distinction; just as we knew this was never going to be easy, we've always known the fight would not end with whatever bill Obama signs. If you ask me, assuming we cannot fix it later suggests that political action is futile. And if you ask me, dooming the bill now because the sidecar is the wrong color is not in our long-term interests.
But I know not everyone agrees with me about that. Some want the pink sidecar where I prefer green. That's all good. I just want everybody to call everyone they can think of in the House and Senate with one simple message:
Do "whatever it takes."
It's concise and despite its lack of specifics, it is quite clear and absolutely unambiguous. The Senate knows precisely what the House wants from them to pass the bill; they're not entirely daft. Tell your Senators and Reid and the members of the Finance Committee that they need to do "whatever it takes" to get this health care bill passed. They'll know what you mean.
But I also know this problem is not going away. By the time I’m finished speaking tonight, more Americans will have lost their health insurance. Millions will lose it this year. Our deficit will grow. Premiums will go up. Patients will be denied the care they need. Small business owners will continue to drop coverage altogether. I will not walk away from these Americans, and neither should the people in this chamber.
Whatever it takes.
It compels action, without need of details. It works just as well on the House as it does the Senate. They also need to do "whatever it takes" to pass the bill.
And yes; I want them to pass this bill, for two reasons. One, there is no way to circumvent the 60-vote Senate threshold on the regulatory parts of the bill; would Brown vote in support of any of those regulatory measures? Doubtful. Very, very doubtful. Reform via reconciliation-only would not put an end to rescission or excluding pre-existing conditions. It couldn't increase the mandated MLR. It can't be used to set coverage standards. It couldn't limit rate variance and out-of-pocket expenses or ban lifetime coverage limits.
The second reason I am firmly in the pass the damn bill camp is this: if we can't get reconciliation out of them now to get the House to sign the bill, health care reform is over for the rest of this year, at least. If the bill we have before us dies, they will not set about starting over. But if we at least pass the bill -- even if the sidecar is the wrong color -- the reconciliation fix remains a possibility. It's always been true that Obama signing a health care bill would be nothing but the end of round one.
But that is just all my personal musings. And please don't get me wrong -- I think purple sidecars with orange starbursts and silver swirls rule and would infinitely prefer them, but I'm not going to say no to one that's just a nice shade of blue. All this talk of sidecars reminds me of being at the amusement park; how long are you willing to wait in line to get the exact car you want?
Reconciliation to fix it now, reconciliation to fix it later, whichever you prefer, please just make sure Congress knows you want them to do "whatever it takes" to move this forward. They can't misunderstand that.
But remember this – I never suggested that change would be easy, or that I can do it alone. Democracy in a nation of three hundred million people can be noisy and messy and complicated. And when you try to do big things and make big changes, it stirs passions and controversy. That’s just how it is.
If we want him to have our backs, we've got to get his. Please keep making those calls.
Toll-free numbers for House and Senate:
1-866-338-1015
1-866-220-0044
1-866-311-3405