Reforming the Reform

Americans without health care coverage lining up in Wise County, Virginia, for a chance at free treatment, 07/24/09. (photo: Steve Helber/AP)

Reader Supported News | Perspective

he fight for health care reform is not over. Progress has been made, but we still have a long way to go. The bill that just passed Congress will help millions of Americans. In the short term, the pool established for people with pre-existing conditions will give much-needed care to people who desperately need it. The tax cut for small businesses will allow them to cover more employees, and even provide more jobs. Young people will be able to remain on their parents' health care plans until they are 26. These, and other reforms, will go into effect right away.

One criticism of the bill is that many provisions don't go into effect until 2014. I see that as an opportunity to improve the bill.

The mandate for people to buy health insurance is one of the most controversial provisions in the bill. Remember when the Senate was talking about triggers? The idea was that if a certain amount of uninsured Americans were not covered by a certain date a "public option" would go into effect. We have four years to convince Congress and the president to add a trigger to the mandate. In this case, the trigger would mean that a mandate would not go into effect if affordable plans were not made available. Let's mandate that the insurance companies bring down the cost of their plans before we force people to become their customers.

Many still believe that a public option is the only way to bring down the cost of health care to the consumer. One argument against pursuing the public option in reconciliation was that it might kill the rest of the bill. The bill has passed; there is no longer an excuse. We now have four years to have an up or down vote on a public option. The votes may not be there now, but perhaps after 2012 they will be.

One very popular idea that was floated by the Senate was to allow Americans between the age of 55 and 64 to buy into Medicare. This could be a potent election year issue. Let's let congressional candidates explain to voters between 55 and 64 why they shouldn't be allowed to buy into Medicare. The proposal doesn't give them Medicare; they would have to buy in, which would be a new infusion of cash into the Medicare pot.

Of course these proposals are only steps in the right direction. The ultimate goal is "Medicare for All." In recent articles and statements on Reader Supported News, Dennis Kucinich and Michael Moore have vowed to fight on for single payer. That is a fight that must continue. Ultimately, it is the only way to reach universal health care.

Scott Galindez was formerly the co-founder of Truthout, and is now the Political Director of Reader Supported News.

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