Despite all the evidence from other countries that a single public insurance plan is the most efficient way to run a national health care system, a large part of the American public has been snowed over by this 'socialized medicine' campaign.
How do I know this? A couple of my co-workers, who are not unsympathetic to Obama, expressed their fears of a 'public plan' at lunch yesterday.
It was so frustrating trying to explain to them that , no, Medicare was not the disaster the right-wing has made it out to be, but a very popular government program that has worked with far less bureacracy than private insurance. I also explained how the VA, which is true 'socialized medicine' and has some of the highest quality medicine in the nation.
And of course, I made the argument that just about every other country has either public health insurance run by the government or tightly regulated non-profit insurance, with equal or better health outcomes at a much lower cost.
But it was to no avail. One of my co-workers cited a broken toilet at city hall that had not been repaired in weeks as evidence that government is utterly incompetent and can't do anything right. Imagine that!
I fear that the relentless right-wing propoganda that has mastered the airwaves for decades has taken its toll. Despite all the evidence to the contrary, even many Obama voters believe health care is run so much more efficiently than the private sector.
I think if somehow we can force a strong Public Option through, and people actually see it working, than that attitude will change. But my fear is the opportunity is closing fast, and we may be forced with facing tightly regulated private insurance as the best we can get.
Time is running out. The anti-public option propaganda is working even on Democratic voters. Can we prevail? I have my doubts but I am not ready to give up.