SEARCH
We Can’t Afford Not to Focus on Health Care |
|
 |
|
Health Care for America Now! (HCAN) is airing a new TV ad to promote President-elect Barack Obama’s commitment to reforming the nation’s health care system as a key element in turning around the nation’s economy.
The ad is being aired in the Washington, D.C., area. It reminds the representatives and senators in the nation’s capital for the lame duck session—and those who will return for the 111th Congress, where the health care debate will unfold next year—that Obama has made health care reform a top issue on his agenda. Says HCAN’s Richard Kirsch:
We know there will be tremendous opposition to real reform—both from industries that benefit from the status quo and from members of Congress who are not used to taking the bold steps we need to create a new economy that works for American families and businesses.
The ad highlights an October speech where Obama spoke about the urgency of fixing our health care system now:
The question isn’t, “How we can afford to focus on health care?” he said. “The question is, ‘How can we afford not to?’ Because in order to fix our economic crisis, and rebuild our middle class, we need to fix our health care system too….It is clear that the time has come—right now—to solve this problem.
HCAN is a coalition of more than 500 labor and community groups, including the AFL-CIO.
2 Comments
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
HR 676 would institute a single payer health care system in the U.S. by expanding a greatly improved Medicare system to every resident.
HR 676 would cover every person in the U. S. for all necessary medical care including prescription drugs, hospital, surgical, outpatient services, primary and preventive care, emergency services, dental, mental health, home health, physical therapy, rehabilitation (including for substance abuse), vision care, chiropractic and long term care.
HR 676 ends deductibles and co-payments. HR 676 would save billions annually by eliminating the high overhead and profits of the private health insurance industry and HMOs.
HR 676 currently has 93 co-sponsors in addition to Conyers. Co-sponsors and bill text are here:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:h.r.00676:
HR 676 has been endorsed by 474 union organizations in 49 states including 117 Central Labor Councils and Area Labor Federations and 39 state AFL-CIO’s (KY, PA, CT, OH, DE, ND, WA, SC, WY, VT, FL, WI, WV, SD, NC, MO, MN, ME, AR, MD-DC, TX, IA, AZ, TN, OR, GA, OK, KS, CO, IN, AL, CA, AK, MI, MT, NE, NY, NV & MA).
To HCAN:
Health Insurers Offer to Accept All Applicants, on Condition
By ROBERT PEAR
Published: November 19, 2008 WASHINGTON —
The health insurance industry said Wednesday that it would support a health care overhaul requiring insurers to accept all customers, regardless of illness or disability. But in return, the industry said, Congress should require all Americans to have coverage.The proposals, put forward by the insurers’ two main trade associations, have the potential to reshape and advance the debate over universal health insurance just as President-elect Barack Obama prepares to take office.In separate actions, the two trade groups, America’s Health Insurance Plans and the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, announced their support for guaranteed coverage for people with pre-existing medical conditions, in conjunction with an enforceable mandate for individual coverage.In the absence of such a mandate, insurers said, many people will wait until they become sick before they buy insurance.Members of Congress said Wednesday that they wanted to pass legislation next year, as proposed by Mr. Obama, to expand coverage and rein in health care costs.The new position taken by the insurance industry — the industry that helped sink President Bill Clinton’s plan for universal health coverage in 1994 — could ease the way for passage of such legislation.But the industry’s position differs from that of Mr. Obama in one significant respect. Insurers want the government to require everyone to have and maintain insurance. By contrast, Mr. Obama would, at least initially, apply the requirement only to children.
What a nothing ad.
What exactly are we calling for to “solve this problem”? If we’re going to spend this kind of money on TV ads, we could provide a little content, no?