Senator Joe Lieberman appears to have killed the expansion of Medicare -- meaning all that's left in the Senate's health care bill is a "trigger" method of the public option. A trigger will not provide the health coverage Americans need, instead promising a vague public policy that would kick in at a certain point -- without a concrete plan.
Indeed, although triggers have been written in to several laws, they have nearly always failed. A similar bill with a similar trigger option -- the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act from 1996 -- has reached the threshold where a trigger should kick in -- but neither the states nor the federal governments have implemented reforms.
A public option without a trigger is the only way we can rein in spiraling health care costs and give Americans the coverage they need. Even if you've sent a letter to your senators before, please sign again -- the more letters we can get into their offices the better during the bill's debate.
Tell your senators: Don't compromise on the public option! There's still hope for a strong health care bill if you take action today!
Dear Senator,
I am a strong supporter of the public option, and as your constituent, I urge you to represent my views with your final vote on the health care bill. I do not support the trigger plan or any compromises, and I urge you to not accept anything less than a strong public option.
Legislative triggers have a dismal record of failure, and I don't believe the trigger under discussion would be any better. The 1978 Humphrey-Hawkins Full Employment Act, the 1985 Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Balanced Budget Act and the 1996 Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act -- to name a few -- all have had triggers that have never resulted in anything more than a report being written. A trigger will not address the health care needs of millions of Americans.
Paul Krugman's New York Times article on December 3 spelled it out the best: "We can only tackle out-of-control costs as part of a deal that also provides Americans with the security of guaranteed health care." The majority of uninsured Americans are young and healthy, so providing them coverage wouldn't be too economically painful, Krugman says. And the Medicare cost-control measures (supported by senior advocacy groups) in the current Senate bill simply ensure the money allocated for seniors is actually going to seniors.
In other words, the public option is the most fiscally secure decision you can make.
[Your comment here]
As President Obama said in his address to the joint session, "Whether or not you have health insurance right now, the reforms we seek will bring stability and security that you don't have today. This isn't about politics. This is about people's lives. This is about people's businesses. This is about our future."
This is my future -- and I demand a strong public option.
