Dear Representative Grijalva:
I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for the leadership you have shown on the issue of health care reform, and particularly the public option. I agree that a robust, nationwide public option is absolutely necessary to bring costs down and force private insurers to meet a reasonable standard of care. If private insurers can’t offer quality care at a cost that is competitive with a public plan, then why do we need private insurers at all?
I also agree with the Progressive Caucus position that Democrats should vote against any omnibus health care bill that fails to include a robust public option. Multi-year "triggers," local co-ops, and other attempts to avoid real reform are unacceptable. The worst possible result for the Democrats would be to sponsor a bill that mandates private insurance without providing a workable public alternative.
Mandating private insurance simply means promoting the junk insurance industry – the middle class will continue to pay rising premiums for lousy coverage when they're healthy, only to have their claims denied and their policies cancelled if they develop serious illnesses or disabilities before they are old enough to qualify for Medicare. This type of phony health care reform might look good for a few months going into the 2010 election, but it would become a serious liability by 2012 when people see that it doesn’t work, and that the mandate is just another massive transfer of wealth from the middle class to the financial industry.
I do not believe I have donated to your campaigns in the past, primarily because you are in a district that is generally considered safe for a Democrat. I am making a contribution now because you appear to be the only Arizona Democrat taking a strong stand on this issue, and I trust you will use part of your campaign funds to promote this and other progressive causes. If other Arizona Democrats end up on the wrong side of the health care issue, I will take the money I would ordinarily donate to them and give it to primary challengers running against the most egregious of the so-called Blue Dogs, who are currently doing more damage to the President’s agenda than the Republicans. The good news is that there appears to be a split within the Blue Dog ranks, and many of them are staying quiet on the health care issue.
In any event, I do not believe Democrats can maintain a majority in the long run by pushing unworkable, watered-down legislation that fails to address real problems. Thank you again for your work with the Progressive Caucus to ensure meaningful health care reform.
Sincerely,
Albrt
cc: Rep. Grijalva, Washington office
Rep. Ed Pastor
Rep. Gabrielle Giffords
Rep. Harry Mitchell
Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick
Please feel free to borrow all or part of this letter if you find it useful.