The Swiftboating of Health Care
It has begun.
Misleading ads attacking universal health care are already here. It’s the opening salvo from those who have a vested financial interest in keeping our broken health care system the way it is. To that end, we will hear lies and distortions aplenty from insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, and their proxies.
I expect that many “health care reform” bills will be floated in Congress, some deliberately weakened to the point that they’re not real reform. So, let’s be clear on our goal: a public option for health care. Americans should be able to choose either a universally available public health care option like Medicare or for-profit private insurance. Anything less than this is a watered-down reform that doesn’t come close to solving our health care crisis.
Moreover, we need to be careful not to pass a plan that makes the situation worse. For example, a “universal health care” plan that mandates the purchase of private health insurance is a terrible idea, but it’s being talked about within the UHC framework. It will be important to stay informed about the details of health care reform bills as they are voted on by our representatives. Just because something claims to be “universal” or “single-payer” doesn’t automatically make it a good idea. (A good solution will be both universal and single-payer, but there are plenty of bad solutions that are also universal, single-payer, or both.)
You can learn more about this issue and get involved at StandWithDrDean.com
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